In Dreams
by WithAplomb
Summary: Separated by 1800 miles Bella Swan and Edward Cullen dream of each other every night. When Cullen moves to Forks can they fight the fact that they are each others dream lover? Rated M for a bit of sweariness, dreaming and just in case. Edward & Bella. AH.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I only own the air between my ears...Twilight belongs to SM**

**Good News**

**BPOV**

Cool hands smoothed away the hair from my eyes as darkness spilled into my bedroom from the open window. Renée's face hovered above mine, smiling softy at me as I struggled to leave the fog of my dream behind. Images remained in my head as I looked at the clock and back at my mother in confusion.

"I'm getting the earlier plane, you know I don't do well with big goodbyes." Her fingers twirled through my hair and she stared at me sadly. "Take care of Charlie. I love you."

"Love you too Mom." I managed to croak out as she all but sprinted from the room. Renée's visits were getting shorter and fewer. Not that I could blame her, it must be hard to come back to a town once you fight with all your might to leave it and not look back. Her visits were hard for Charlie too, considering my theory that he never got over her.

When I moved back to Forks a little over a year ago he was living the bachelor lifestyle, with no sign of a woman. The house was obviously neglected, the only new item was the massive flat screen he had bolted to the wall in the living room. All the better to watch the games on with a beer in hand and Billy at his side.

It took me a good month before he would relinquish the purse strings and let me do the shopping and cooking. It made me feel like I was contributing something at least, other than being a burden. He was pretty shocked when I announced I wanted to move to Forks but he let me do it and does his best. We both fell into a pretty easy routine, he doesn't ask questions and I cook his dinner.

Sleep came quickly after I had listened to Charlie throw luggage into the car and whisper softly to Renée before driving her away. And just like every night I dreamt of him.

Who he was I could not tell you, but I could tell you the very colour of his eyes, the set of his brow, the feel of his hair as I sank my hands into it, the smell of his neck, the thrilling feeling of desire ripping through me as he softly grazed my neck and how safe and loved and wanted I felt when he was above me, his body pressed down onto mine and his fierce green eyes staring searching my own like they held the answer to life itself.

Every morning I awoke panting in desire and every morning I was alone in my bed. Such a man could not exist; no one I had ever met had aroused such passion in me. Alice was obsessed with my dreams. On the drive to school she would ask me about them, and I would giddily divulge all of the sordid details because that's how it is with Alice. When she asked you a question you couldn't help but to answer truthfully. Her enthusiasm for everything was infectious.

This morning was different however. She was sitting at the kitchen table when I stumbled down the stairs, narrowly avoiding falling down them yet again.

"Morning Sunshine." She grinned at me. "How are you?"

"Sleepy. Hungry. Dopey." Waffles and cereal sat on the table and I frowned down at it, recognising Charlie's handiwork.

"Will the other dwarfs be joining us today?" Alice snickered at me.

"Give them time to wake up." I retorted. "Where's Charlie?"

"He left for work already, seemed pretty stoic, not that he doesn't most of the time anyway, but still." She picked at a bowl of dry cereal and checked her phone. "Move your ass slow coach, don't wanna be late for school!"

"What you really mean is that you don't want to be late for Jasper." I ran back up to my room and readied myself for school.

"So, you ok? With Renée taking off early?" Alice peered at me in concern as we drove to school.

"Yeah, I guess. I mean, I knew she wasn't going to stay as long as she said she would. I reckon Phil called her and she couldn't be away from him for long." I rolled my eyes. My mother was more of a teenager with guys than I was.

"I know what she means." Alice sighed and I knew she was thinking about Jasper. They had been joined at the hip since long before I rocked up to Forks, you would think they were born for the sole purpose of finding each other. Which is bizarre, because you will never meet two people more unlike. Jasper was the anti-Alice. He was the calm, to her frenzy. Alice gives off energy constantly, and one part of her is always moving whether it is her mouth as she enthuses about something or her fingers tapping impatiently in class.

Jasper on the other hand could stand still for hours on end. I have my suspicions that he actually does. He is stealthy as well, the one person who is guaranteed to appear from nowhere and scare the shit out of you.

"Did you dream again last night?" I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye and spotted her trying to look nonchalant.

"When in the last three months have I not had that dream? I swear you get off on it more than I do."

"There is no law against that is there?" She giggled infectiously. "I'm still amazed that you're having these dreams at all."

"Tell me about it." Sighing, I turned the truck into the school parking lot. I could feel the radiance of Alice's smile as I parked the car which told me she had spotted Jasper. It only took me a second to find him myself, standing patient and still beside his sisters bright red car with a smile matching Alice's.

He pushed himself away from the car and opened the truck door for Alice, offering his hand.

"Good morning beautiful." He placed a light kiss on her lips. "Morning Bells. Dream well last night?" He sniggered at me as I blushed a bright crimson. Of course Alice told him about the dreams, I should have guessed.

We fell into step as we headed to class. Alice and Jasper clasping hands lightly, chattered like birds as I tried to avoid the stare of Mike Newton.

"Oh, guess what?" Jasper stopped walking and turned to face us. "I got an email last night and I have pretty good news....."

**EPOV**

Forks. Forks. Forks. Fucking Forks. How very typical. Just as I begin to settle in here in Chicago Carlisle has to have a change of mind and uproot us all. Yet again. I really should be used to this kind of stunt. It's happened countless times in the course of the last five years. Though it does appear that he is beginning to form a circle, as he is dragging us back to where we began. Forks.

We lived there when I was a child. Since Carlisle and Esme adopted me until I was 12. He pulled Emmett and I out of school and moved us to Alaska to stay with relatives for some reason. Then it was Edinburgh for half a year, then back to the States. Never staying in one place for more than five months until we settled in Chicago for the past year and a half.

I was always on edge, expecting the word that we would be moving again, never making friends, never making attachments. A set of rules I had been living by since we left Forks. At least I would be returning to my one constant friend. Jasper and I had never lost touch, and I was looking forward to seeing him again, but that was the only upside to this debacle.

Emmett didn't care; he was easy about where we lived. He made attachments easily and broke them just as simply. I guess being the jock type enabled that kind of living. A readymade group of drinking buddies and conquests await him in every school we enrol in. It amuses and disgusts me in equal measure.

Carlisle didn't mess about when he told us either.

"We are moving to Forks again. Esme misses the small town lifestyle and we still hold a house there." His nervous eyes betrayed the confidence in his voice, as our "leader", so to speak, he had to show no weakness. There would be no arguments, his tone commanded.

"What the fuck?!" I spat out in shock, regretting that I did because Esme was beside me and quick with the slap on the back of my head. My hand went into my hair and rubbed the stinging spot. "I'm sorry. But, what? Why? When? When will we ever stop moving?"

"Edward, we promise that this will be the last move, at least until Emmett and yourself graduate." Esme responded in her quiet and sure voice. I was pretty confident that this was what Carlisle had said about the move to Chicago, verbatim.

"Can I have that in writing?" I mumbled to myself.

"When do we go?" Asked Emmett, seemingly unbothered by leaving behind even more people.

"One week." Carlisle informed us. "We will be back in the mansion."

The mansion. The first home that I really remember. In the years since I have never quite been able to forget the feeling of safety that home afforded me. A sanctuary after my broken early years. I could visualise my room, the comfort, the light. It is perfect for sketching the surrounding forest. Another good point. I am getting quite adept at finding the few good points of moving. No matter how small. It is the only way to survive, even though I am yet again thrown into a spin. Will I ever be able to settle and be comfortable anywhere?

As soon as we had finalised the move I went to my room. Throwing myself onto the bed I quickly wrote an email to Jasper and lay on my back, hands beneath my head, staring at the ceiling deep in thought.

This bed. I would miss this bed. Carlisle usually had us leave larger items in the houses we left behind. With any luck I would convince him I needed this bed, if memory served my bed at the mansion in Forks was a single made for a child. Mental note made I drifted off to sleep thinking about how to pack my hundreds of books and CDs. And then, like every night, I dreamt of her.

Inhaling the scent of her strawberry hair she would crush her body against mine, feeling my arousal against her stomach. Blush would creep across her translucent skin before we would be lost in a tangle of limbs, each trying to touch everywhere at once, our lips bruising from the passion we could not control. Her eyes would close as I graze her neck, kissing down to her chest. Every morning would find me panting with uncontained arousal, the final image staying with me all day until it started all over again. That final image of her face from above flushed with pleasure, biting her lip before whispering my name in a sigh and fixing her chocolate brown eyes on mine.

**A/N: Please read and review. I welcome constructive criticism. If I have made a glaringly obvious mistake then please tell me and I will clarify if it was a mistake or on purpose to serve the story that I want to tell. Thanks everyone. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Twlight belongs to SM. I only own alot of DVDs.**

**Changes**

**EPOV**

Everything was packed. My life was once again reduced to a pathetic number of boxes shoved into the back of a truck. I had won the battle with Carlisle regarding my bed and that was in pieces packed into the truck as well. Carlisle had wanted us all to fly into Seattle and make our way from there, having our cars delivered to us, but I refused. A long drive is just what I needed. In truth I was looking forward to having my music blaring out of the open windows as I left behind another home.

I had started the roughly 1800 mile drive early on the day before the others left, Emmett had voiced his interest in coming with me but I had thankfully managed to dissuade him. As well as we get along, sometimes, I don't think I could handle his company for days on end.

Esme had insisted on pre-booking accommodation for my journey, making sure that I would not push myself too hard and drive through some nights. It was going to take me around 4 days and I was eager to start.

Mile after mile of road disappeared under the wheels of the Volvo just as song after song boomed out from my speakers. I tried to drown out my thoughts, those of my past and my sure to be bleak future, at least for the next two years in Forks anyway. She, however, would not stay from my mind. It did not matter that I tried actively to forget her, whoever she was. The dreams had been getting more graphic. Every night there was a little more detail, a little more nuance in her response and her moans. The blush that crept across her cheeks as I touched her creamy skin was something that I could not forget in my waking state. I was thankful that Esme didn't ask questions when I took it upon myself to do my own washing, the changing of my sheets in the morning was getting more frequent and I didn't want to have to answer some awkward questions. I could just imagine how that conversation would go.

"Edward, why are you washing your sheets every day?"

"Because I am a teenage boy dreaming about having sex with a beautiful girl every night, without fail, and when the walls of her sex are massaging my twitching cock in my dreams I ejaculate onto my sheets. Often more than once in the night."

"Oh."

Yeah, I didn't think I wanted to have that conversation with the woman who had been a mother to me for the past ten years. At least Carlisle was a doctor and he would understand. He had been through the same stages in life. One would hope. But I wasn't going to talk to him about it either. I would sort this out on my own. The dreams had to stop at some point.

Tonight was not the night they stopped. Making myself comfortable in the sterile hotel room I allowed sleep to blanket over me and when I did I started to dream.

**BPOV**

Jasper was positively giddy about his old friend coming back to Forks. If I hadn't known any better I would have said he and Alice had swapped personalities for the day. Obviously this hadn't happened as Alice was just as happy. I watched them almost bounce up and down with happiness for almost an entire week, indulging them with a look of amusement on my face. At least I thought it was amusing until one morning outside school Alice asked,

"Why are you frowning?! This is good news!"

"Um, I didn't think I was frowning."

"Turn that frown upside down butterfly!" She giggled. At that I rolled my eyes, and plastered a massive smile onto my face.

"Do you even know this guy Alice?"

"A little bit, he left not long after my family moved here. But, he is Jaspers best friend and when Jasper is happy so am I." She smiled at me.

"And as I'm happy when my best friend is happy, then I guess I'm....happy?" I managed a weak laugh.

"Come on, you two will be late for English if you don't get a move on." Jasper interjected, giving Alice a quick kiss, affording me a wave and disappearing to his own class.

Alice kept talking as we walked to English, telling me all the information she had on Jasper's friend, this Edward Cullen.

"....then Dr Cullen and his wife adopted him and moved him here. They stayed for a while but Carlisle, that's Dr Cullen, uprooted them and they went to Alaska. Jasper said they have moved around quite a bit. And they adopted another son, I forget his name, but he is a senior. "

"Right." By the time we reached English I was well versed in the life and times of Edward Cullen. I wasn't great at meeting new people. I wasn't great at liking new people. This guy was going to absolutely upset the nice little dynamic of my life and my routine. I really shouldn't hold it against him already though, what kind of person did that make me?

The whole school was buzzing by the time lunch time came around. Of course it would be. In a town as small as this a new family moving in was Big News. It didn't matter that they had already lived here, and that most of the kids had known Edward from before. It was still a topic to be dissected and examined from all possible angles for the rest of the week.

Jessica and Lauren talked about it nonstop. They actually had no other topic of conversation. Every time I passed them I would hear some snippet of inane conversation.

"He used to be really into me, but we were just kids, y'know?" Lauren claimed at one point.

"I hear the older one is pretty hot, the jock type, my type." Snickered Jessica in response.

From whom she heard that I have no idea. The only person to have even seen a picture of Edwards's brother was Jasper and it was unlikely that he would have exclaimed that the guy was hot and the jock type, unless he had an awkward conversation with Alice coming up.

Lunch was, for me, sometimes excruciating. Some days it was perfect. It was little hit and miss. Today was a miss. Today I was remiss about avoiding Newton, thinking about how much things would change with Cullen in the mix, and he managed to sneak up on me.

"Hey Bella." He all but whispered in my ear as his hand caught my hip. I hated the way he said my name, I hated it more than being called Isabella.

"Hey, Mike. How are you?" As much as I disliked the way his hand was grazing my hip, and was that little bit too close to my ass than is polite, I couldn't be rude to him. I just wasn't brought up that way.

"I was wondering when you would agree to that second date? How about this weekend?" I sighed.

"We didn't have a first date. We had a group outing that a lot of people bailed on. Remember?" I took a look around me and spotted no one who would step in to rescue me. His eyes narrowed at me.

"I call it our first date, Bella."

"How about you call it our only date? Ever." I tried to sound jokey but was getting more than a little annoyed.

"How about you stop being a tease and just agree?" I rolled my eyes and spotted Jessica, who was looking at Mike's hand on my hip with an undisguised fury.

"How about you take your hand off her you cretin?" Shocked I looked up and found Jasper's sister, Rosalie, glaring down at Newton. "How about I kick your ass? Because we both know I could."

His hand snapped away from me and he stalked away in humiliation, Rosalie had practically screamed at him and everyone in the cafeteria was looking our way. My face got hot with embarrassment.

"You alright?" Rosalie tightly asked me.

"Yeah, thanks." I knew there was a pathetically puppy like look of adoration on my face but I couldn't help it, I was supremely grateful.

"Jasper and Alice just came in, go sit down and they will be over in a minute." She dismissed me with a wave of her hand and sashayed back to her own table, where the rest of the popular athletic girls sat.

Rosalie terrified me and enthralled me in equal measure. She was almost the same height as Jasper with the same blonde hair, but with brown eyes instead of Jaspers blue. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful person I had ever seen outside of a magazine or movie. There was a grace to her that was indescribable. In short, I wanted to _be_ her. There was always a retort at the end of Rosalie's sometimes acerbic tongue, always a flick of the hair and flirty comment at the sight of a good looking boy. And while she was never downright horrible to me, she never sought my company either. There were only the rare occasions like this when she would step in and say what I could never.

Alice and Jasper rushed over to the table with frowns blighting their beautiful faces. Jasper growled at Newton as he passed him and Alice took my hand when she sat down.

"You ok? What happened? We just saw Rosalie towering over Newton, who had his hands on you. Not the sight we expect when we come to get lunch."

"He was just...um...bugging me. Rosalie told him to back off. In fact, she told him she would kick his ass and win." A giggle burst out of my mouth and I clamped my hand over my mouth, a little shocked.

"Well, it's true." Said Jasper as he sat down, smirking to himself. "Edward emailed, said he was driving from Chicago and would be here at the weekend."

"Oh, that's good!" Sang Alice, planting a kiss on his cheek and weaving her arm through her own, removing her hand from mine.

"How many miles is that?" I asked, more to myself than the others.

"It's around 1800, as the crow flies." Answered Angela as she sat with us. Angela rarely sat with us, despite being a friend to us all. "Jessica and Lauren are really boring me, it's Edward this Emmett that. Excuse me for using my brain cells for something other than being a whore." We all snickered at this last statement. "Are you all excited Jasper? You must have missed him. You two were inseparable when you were kids." She looked up at Jasper and waited for his answer as she bit into her sandwich.

"Yes, I am excited and yes, I did miss him. It'll be good to have my partner in crime back."

"Hey, I thought I was you partner in crime!" Alice admonished, smacking his arm.

"You are my...um...sexy partner in crime." Alice grinned wickedly at this statement as Angela and I laughed. "Edward was my friendly partner in crime. Like Bella is to you." Seeing the logic in Jaspers statement Alice nodded and seemed satisfied.

"Well, good catching up, I have to head to the library before class. Catch you later." Angela gave us a warm smile and hurried away, she had barely swallowed the last of her lunch. She was definitely on a mission to get to the best college she could and as far away from Forks and its inhabitants as possible.

"So, Bells, how have you been sleeping? Having any disturbing dreams?" Jasper asked evilly whilst trying to keep the smirk off his face.

"Sleeping like a baby, thanks for asking Jasper." I answered sarcastically, throwing Alice a frown, whilst the hotness burned across my face again. "I knew I shouldn't have said anything to you." I mumbled in the direction of Alice, sighing. The fierce green eyes flashed into my head and suddenly I couldn't wait to get sleepy.

**A/N: Please read and review, if you're that way inclined. I'm Scottish so if I have managed to hugely mess us any Americanisms then please tell me so that I can fix them to make the story better. Constructive criticism please people. Thanks. **


	3. Conversations with Charlie

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight...I own too many single socks.**

**A/N: This is just an edited version of what was here before...had an issue with find and replace...pesky. **

**Conversations with Charlie**

**BPOV**

I groaned in pleasure, his lips were on mine, his tongue lightly licking my lip, gently pushing into my mouth, fighting my own for dominance. My hands were in his hair, crushing his face closer to mine as his own hands explored the curves of my body, settling at my breasts, unbuttoning my shirt and clamping around the cup of my bra. A growl of frustration started in his throat and I gasped as my hips bucked and pushed the warmth between my legs up towards the solid mass in his jeans. His hands pushed down on my hips as he pushed back, the delicious trembling started in my legs as he continued to rub our clothed groins together before finally freeing my breasts and lowering his mouth to suck on my straining nipples. A warmth started to build in me, a feeling of shamelessness coursed through me and I put my hands on his ass, pushing his covered erection closed to me, urging him to rub us together faster, for him to push into me harder....I was moaning with reckless abandon when he locked his beautiful, proud, fierce eyes on mine and I cried his name.

Only I woke up, trembling and sweating with pleasure, without hearing his name. Fuck. If only I had stayed sleeping another half second I would have known his name. I didn't know if it was normal for a girl to orgasm in her sleep but it was happening to me with increasing frequency. I knew it happened to boys. I think every teenage boy suffers from wet dreams; at least that's what They say. Though who They are I could not tell you, I just had to trust that They were right. I had never read about teenage girls having the same issue. It would make sense though; there is the same surging of hormones surely.

"Bells?" I was startled by Alice's voice coming out of the darkness. I had forgotten that she was staying the night on my floor.

"Yeah?" I croaked out in answer.

"That must have been one hell of a dream." She was straining to keep the laughter out of her voice.

"You could say that." I snorted at her, smirking into the darkness.

"Good thing Charlie is a deep sleeper. I don't think you could have been any louder. I could hear you through the pillow I had over my head." She couldn't contain the snickering any longer and I could hear her muffle it with a pillow. " Oh, oh, oh, yessssssssssss." She parodied. "Harder, hmmmmm, yeah, there, faster. Oooohhhhhhhhhh." She could barely breath she was laughing so hard as she recited what I had managed to reveal in my sleep. I could just imagine the tears of laughter pouring down her face.

"Shut up!" I whispered, barely keeping it together. "Don't you dare say anything to Jasper!"

"I can't help what I reveal in my sleep." She countered. We sat in silence for a while, though I could tell she was smirking. "Do me intriguing sleep dream man, do me." She managed to spit out through a renewed case of giggling and I snapped, throwing a pillow directly at her head. "Ow!" I could make out her hand rubbing her head where I had hit her. "Real mature." She mumbled at me, settling back down to sleep.

**EPOV**

It took me the full four days to make it all the way to Forks from Chicago. The drive was pretty blissful; the same could be said of the nights as well. I was embarrassed about leaving the hotel sheets in such a mess, but there was very little else I could do without washing the sheets in the bath. I made sure to strip the bed and bundle them with the offending stains on the inside of the ball.

Tree after tree flashed by the car as I drove at a speed that would make Esme cringe in worry through the roads leading to Forks. It was unmistakable when I reached the outskirts of town. Trees towered on both sides of the road, green and mossy and, to the easily intimidated, frightening. Rain misted the windscreen as I careened wildly along the road. I was lost in my own head, thinking of how good the feeling of sinking into my own bed would be after nights of hotels. I was almost at the discrete turn off to the mansion when I heard the siren behind me. Glancing in the rear view mirror I cursed as I slowed the Volvo to a stop and awaited the arrival of the police officer at my window.

The lights from atop the police cruiser bathed the scene in an eerie blue glow. Sighing I watched the approaching figure fight against the wind to reach me.

"Do you have any idea how fast you were going?" The figure had to scream at me to be heard above the howling wind.

"I'm very sorry officer, I was just in a hurry to reach home." The man peered into the car and took in my appearance. I watched him as he straightened slightly. He had to be barely forty, and had an air of authority that did not come merely from being in law enforcement. It quickly dawned on me that this was the Police Chief, and I struggled to remember the man's name as I was sure he had been here during our last stay in Forks.

"That's no excuse. Do you live around here?" His eyes narrowed as if trying to remember if he had seen me before.

"My family has just moved back, sir, when I was younger we lived here." Realisation dawned on his face.

"Cullen. I heard you were moving back. Carlisle arrived a couple of days ago didn't he?" He said my father's name with a slight tinge of respect. That was to be expected, those who knew Carlisle always used that tone. Swan! Chief Swan! That was his name.

"I'm very sorry Chief Swan, I was eager to get back to my family." He seemed surprised that I remembered his name.

"We don't drive that fast around here, ok? Remember that. Give my regards to your father." He said gruffly to me and stalked back to his cruiser. Thankful I had avoided a ticket I pulled into the almost hidden drive and drove at a sedate pace back to the mansion.

Time had not eroded the exterior of the mansion. It was as white as it had been when we left it, the glass shone brightly even under the cover of a blanket of clouds. Parking the Volvo beside the rental car Carlisle had picked up at the airport until their own cars had arrived I got out and took my first proper breath of Forks air. This was going to be interesting.

**BPOV**

Monday morning came too fast if you asked me. The weekends were getting shorter and shorter as I got older. Alice had pulled me kicking and screaming to Port Angeles to do a little shopping. I don't know why she even bothered sometimes. Port Angeles never held anything of interest to her; I was always surly and pouty because she would try to get me into skirts and heels, then when we returned she would throw herself into Jaspers arms like they had been apart for weeks and not hours.

I was perfectly content to wear jeans, t-shirts and the same old battered converse that I always had since I was allowed to dress myself. Alice seemed to be on a mission to convert me. The reasoning behind which I had no comprehension of. Occasionally she convinced Rosalie to come with us, but she would only ever concede if she had to go for something anyway. Alice adored Rosalie, and it was mutual. Further proof that Alice was something otherworldly.

Charlie had been fishing for most of the weekend with Billy, spending Saturday night on the Reservation. When he came back I had cooked up the fish he caught and we sat in companionable silence, only the sound of cutlery hitting the plates breaking the silence until he had burst forth with an inexplicable question.

"What do you think of the boys in town Bella?" Shocked must have been written across my face because a wry chuckle escaped from between his lips.

"Um...they are boys...I'm not...I mean....I don't....why?" I stuttered out.

"You are seventeen years old now Bella and I don't doubt that you are curious." He seemed to be as mortified as I was, though I was sure my face was a thousand times redder.

"Cha...um...Dad...I'm not interested in any of the boys in town...you don't need to worry about me." He nodded a little at that.

"I'm not worried, Bells, it's just that most girls your age are dating."

"I'm not going to date someone just for something to do on a Saturday night. I have friends, I'm not deficient in some way Dad." I was at a loss as to what he was getting at.

"I know you are not deficient!" He laughed. "I was just worried I was rubbing off on you too much, that maybe you take too much after me, and not...your mother."

Taking the dishes over to the sink I began to wash them and tried to put his mind at ease. This was a difficult task when I had no idea why this conversation was happening. "Please, Dad, I'm good. I'm fine and happy. Honest." I turned and smiled at him.

"OK." He replied and patted my shoulder as I washed the dishes. Hurrying up to my room when I was finished, a frown refusing to leave my face.

This was possibly the reason I was running late on Monday morning, having spent most of the night fighting sleep as I tried to finish my homework as well as thinking over why Charlie might see the need to worry about me. And, of course, waking up panting and aroused throughout the night doesn't help with the getting up on time either. Again I awoke without hearing his name escape my lips, but knowing that he growled with lust when I gently licked at his earlobe. Of course it didn't matter that I knew this, it just happens to be the kind of detail Alice loved hearing about.

Throwing my bag over my shoulder I ran out of the house, cursing the fact that I would be late and remembering that I still had to pick up Alice. Great start to what I'm sure would be a great day, I said to myself sarcastically as I backed the truck out of the drive and headed to get Alice.

**A/N: Read, Review, Recommend...Thanks**


	4. Realisation

**Disclaimer: I own nothing...SM does. **

**Realisation**

**EPOV**

Jasper met me in the parking lot at school as he had promised. He was excited about me getting to meet Alice and their friend Bella. Mostly about me meeting Alice though. When I had been forced to leave Forks it was only a month or so after Alice and her parents had arrived. I could barely remember her. There was a vague recollection of her being tiny. Absolutely tiny. That could be the fact she was only 12 when I had last set eyes on her. Jasper had sent a photo once, but it only held their happy faces, nothing more to go on then.

"Bella slept in." Jasper told me after checking a text that came through from Alice.

"Couldn't Alice drive herself? You told me she had a pretty nice car."

"Yeah, her parent's way of saying we love you." He snorted bitterly. "She loves it, but likes coming in with Bella more."

"Dude, I'm going to the office to get the usual first day stuff. Play nice with the other children." Emmett shouted back at me, obviously having been bored waiting with us, as he stalked into the front office. Jasper snickered and I rolled my eyes.

"I should do the same." I told Jasper apologetically. "I'll meet Alice at lunch I'm sure."

"Sure. I'm going to wait a few more minutes. See you at lunch."

I walked through the parking lot to get to the office and I could feel everyone staring at me. Emmett was better with attention than I was, I should have gone at the same time. At least then some of the attention would have been deflected onto him. I raked my fingers through my hair and pulled at a tuft of it. Two girls stopped in front of me and stared with no shame.

"Edward?" One of them gasped.

"Um, yeah." I replied out of politeness.

"Do you remember me? Lauren. Mallory." She started towards me as I frowned and pulled at my hair again. "This is Jessica Stanley. Remember?" I looked at both of them and shook my head. They looked like identikit high school girls. I wrote them off as vapid the second I spotted them.

"I have to get to the office." My hand made a motion forward and I stepped between them, walking hurriedly away.

It only took moments to get the information I needed from the office and I walked to my first class, ignoring the stares and thankful when the teacher pointed me to a vacant chair without asking that I introduce myself.

The seat next to me was empty and I hoped that it would stay that way. In fact I prayed that I would not have to listen to someone's inane prattle about small town life for the next hour. The bell sounded and the seat next to me remained empty. Thank god for that.

Just as the teacher started his teachings the door opened and in stepped another student. Her face was hidden by a wall of deep dark hair, her pale hands clutched the strap of her book bag and as she stepped towards her designated seat, that I quickly realised was the vacant one beside me, she caught her foot on the leg of a table. She was sent crashing down to the floor before anyone had the chance to react, books spilling across the floor until one stopped at my foot. A waft of strawberry scented air blew over me and I gripped the edge of the desk, suddenly transported to the previous night where that smell had enveloped me with its comfort.

She groaned with embarrassment, her hands grasping at the fallen books before she stood up and gave a quick little bow. The class had overcome their shock and were snickering as she made her way over to the seat beside me. I had bent to retrieve the book at my feet and I handed it to her as she sat down.

"Thanks." She breathed at me with a shake of her head, moving the wall of hair away from her face and revealing to me the most beautiful brown eyes I had seen. The same eyes that looked at me hooded with lust every night. The same eyes that pleaded with me to please her as I held her body flush with mine.

**BPOV**

There was no doubt that my day is going to get worse; I thought this as I landed face first on the floor of biology class. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. I groaned with embarrassment as Mr. Banner made a move to help me up. I waved him away and grabbed the books that had spilled out of my hands before standing up. I gave everyone a little bow and shook my head. I quickly made my way over to my seat and noticed that where there was usually an empty seat there was now a body. A male body. He handed me a book he had picked up for me.

"Thanks." I impatiently tossed my hair away from my face and looked at him. This had to be Edward Cullen. There was no way that this was not Edward Cullen. He looked at my face and recoiled. He actually recoiled. He pulled his seat away from me and looked straight ahead. Like I was the most repulsive sight he had ever had the misfortune to see.

His hands went up to his bronze hair and pulled at a tuft that obviously had been pulled hundreds of times before. Frowning, I draped my hair down as a shield between us and stared at my book. Jasper never said anything about Cullen being rude. I was horrified that someone could react like that to me. I knew I wasn't as pretty as the Laurens and Jessicas of this world, but still.

I wasn't going to tell Alice about this. She would be apoplectic with rage, forcing Jasper to say something to Cullen about his abhorrent rudeness. I would pretend that this never happened, I was good at that. It was a trait I had inherited from Charlie. We didn't have to be friends just because he and Jasper were. I didn't need a new friend. In fact, why was I even thinking about him?

Because I recognised that bronze hair from somewhere. I glanced at him from through my hair and tried to place it. It was amazingly messy, but it suited him. His habit of raking his fingers through it and pulling at little tufts was apparent to anyone who looked at him. His nostrils flared as he tried to concentrate on the board, his lips in a tight white line. Mentally shaking myself I tuned into Mr. Banner again and tried to care about what he was saying.

**EPOV**

How? What? Why? How?

Those are the questions swimming through my head as I sat beside the girl who visited me every night in a dream. This wasn't a case of someone who looked quite a lot like someone but wasn't them. I had no doubt in my head that this clumsy teenager was the same person in my dreams. She had the same tiny, light freckle under her right eye as the girl in my dream. She smelled of the exact same shampoo and moisturiser. I had no doubt that if I were to lick her neck she would taste just as I had imagined.

I felt like I was going mad. Sitting next to her and not being able to check for definitive proof. I was preternaturally aware of her every movement. Saw the way that she peeked out from her hair to stare at me with a look akin to curiosity. Saw the way her tongue traced her bottom lip before she pulled it into her mouth and bit down nervously. There was no doubt that she had noted my physical reaction to the realisation of who she was. My fingers moved automatically through my hair and I saw her eyes trace the movement.

Class seemed interminably long. I thought it would never end. When the bell finally interrupted Mr. Banner's final statement I snatched up my books and was about to push past her when my way was blocked by another student.

"Are you alright? That fall looked sore." He placed his hand onto her elbow. She pulled away from him quickly, I noted with a perverse satisfaction. What did I care who touched her elbow? It was innocent enough, but I had to fight back a growl.

"I'm fine, Mike, just another day for me." She said with a hint of resignation in her voice. I realised I was staring at them when the boy, Mike, cleared his throat and moved out of his way, signalling for me to leave.

He was predatory. There was no doubt about that. I wondered if this act of altruism was for my benefit, whether he had noticed my awareness of this girl. Even if this was the case I had my escape route and I pounced upon it, hurrying out of the room. Leaving behind the scent of strawberry, and the sense of going mad with it.

**A/N: I really hope that you are all enjoying this...**


	5. First Contact

**First Contact**

**BPOV**

Newton wouldn't leave my side after my fall in biology. He insisted in walking me to English and I wished with every fibre in my being that he would just leave me the hell alone. Where's Rosalie when you need her?

I couldn't get Cullen out of my mind. That bronze hair was haunting me. Every time I closed my eyes I saw him pull his elegant long fingers through it. I couldn't help but weaken a little when I thought about his jaw, how it was so straight and masculine. How it was fully formed when the rest of the boys in school seemed to be stuck in between childhood and manhood. Cullen definitely didn't have that issue. He was most definitely erring on the side of man.

I thought about how good it would be to trace the line of his jaw with my own fingers and almost let out a gasp. There was a memory sitting just out of reach and no matter how hard I tried it just refused to step into the light. There had been something comfortingly familiar about him. I just couldn't place it.

"Bells?" Jasper's voice broke through my thoughts and I was a little shocked to find myself walking down towards the cafeteria with him.

"Sorry, what?" He quirked an eyebrow at me and grinned, I could see the wicked question flash across his eyes and braced myself for what was to come. Damn Alice.

"Doing a bit of day dreaming are we?" He sniggered. "Uncharacteristically quiet for one of your dreams isn't it?"

"Your comedy always floors me Jasper. I mean, really, you should be on stage somewhere." I whispered sarcastically at him, but he danced out of reach before I had the chance to smack his arm.

"Just telling it like it is." He retorted, laughing at me. "Look, there's Emmett." My gaze followed his out stretched hand and finally settled on what could only be described as Man Mountain.

"Jesus. He is huge." I mumbled as he spotted Jasper and looked relieved.

"Jasper, finally man. Was going a bit crazy working out where to sit." He boomed at us as we stopped beside him.

"There, see the tiny dark haired girl? Go over and I'll get you there." Emmett looked at Jasper with appreciation and with more grace than I would have expected navigated through the crowded dining hall and sat in front of a mildly shocked looking Alice.

"What are you, like officially a midget?" I caught Emmett ask without tact when I sat down.

"It may look that way to someone who happens to be officially classed as a giant, but no, I'm not." Laughed Alice, obviously delighted with the new edition to the school. "This is Bella." She pointed to me.

"Emmett." He introduced himself to me and offered his hand for me to shake.

"Hi." I answered shyly.

In truth Emmett was terrifying. He was awe inspiring in his massiveness. I noted that one of his biceps was probably the same size as my thigh. Short dark curls covered his head, matching the shade of his eyes which were almost black.

"What's your story then Bella?" Emmett boomed at me. Confused I looked to Alice.

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me about yourself is what I mean." He looked at me with interest.

"I'm 17...um...I drive that truck." I pointed out of the window and he let out a booming laugh that practically shook the room.

"Is that even legal?"

"Well her father bought her it and he is the police chief." Interjected Alice, sensing my comfort slipping away. "You have to get to know Bella in stages; she keeps her cards close to her chest." She informed Emmett, whose eyes immediately went to my chest, then flicked back up to my own with a slight grin and a shrug.

"Sure. Where's my brother? Have you met him yet?" He looked between us both.

"He is in my biology class. Kept pretty quiet. I didn't have the chance to introduce myself." I told him as Jasper dropped a tray of food on the table. Alice immediately took the food and shared it between the three of us.

"Jasper? Where is Edward?" Asked Alice, crunching into an apple and leaning into his side.

"Damned if I know."

**EPOV**

If I smoked now would be the perfect time to spark one up and take a long lazy draw. How could one person have such an effect on me? Me, who refuses to make any human connection with anyone except my family. And Jasper I reminded myself. That doesn't count; I was a kid when I met him.

Great, now I was arguing with myself in my car. I cranked up the volume hoping it would drown out my thoughts. But it never did when I was thinking about the girl in my dreams and now I knew she actually existed. Think about it logically Cullen. You must have met her before. That was it, I must have.

Calm settled over me when I hit upon the most logical explanation. Smiling I stepped out of the car and made my way back into the school building. Jasper and Emmett would be waiting for me and I still had to meet Alice and her friend.

It was always easy to find Emmett in a crowded room. He was always the biggest, the loudest and the most tactless. This just added to his charm I could only guess. He and Jasper were easily spotted when I walked into the cafeteria; the contrasts of light and dark are something which would draw anybody's eyes. Sitting with them were two dark haired girls with their backs to me, but I stiffened immediately and knew who they both were in an instant.

The smaller of the two was leaning into Jaspers side and he had his arm draped protectively around her shoulder. The other one was her. Bella must be her name. Of course it would happen like this. Why would I think it would be any easier? Logic, I assured myself, logic. This woman-child did not have some magical hold on me. She was just like any other teenager.

"Finally!" Boomed Emmett, and those who were not already staring at the new arrivals to the school turned and stared.

"Sorry, left something in the car." I replied, sitting down at the only spare seat, the one beside Bella.

"Edward, this is Alice and Bella." Jasper motioned to the two girls sitting at the table. "Though you have already met Bells apparently." I frowned. What has she said?

"Hi Edward!" Sang Alice at me with a huge smile on her face. I managed a small smile back at her and she reached over to take my hand briefly. "We are so happy you are here." She was pretty adorable to be fair to Jasper and I could see how they would fit together.

"Thanks Alice." I threw her a genuine smile and then focused on Bella.

She refused to meet my eyes. Her head was bowed down, or looking at the others, but she would not look at me.

"Hi, I'm sorry that we didn't have the chance to meet properly in class earlier." I spoke softly towards her. "I'm Edward Cullen." I offered her my hand and when she took it slowly, as if she were worried it would break, we both took a sharp breath. She grabbed back her hand and stroked it like it had been burned whilst I buried mine deep into my hair.

It was a minute moment and nobody else paid any attention, but I knew we had both felt it. Her brow furrowed and she made some excuse to leave the table, picking up her things calmly, though I knew she was eager to sprint away. Sprint out of this room and to a place of quiet solitude to think over what just happened.

I knew this because it was what I wanted to do with the same intensity.

**BPOV**

What the hell just happened? It was like he was a plug socket and I just shoved my tongue into him. I winced. That was the wrong analogy, now all I felt like doing was literally shoving my tongue into him. I crashed through the doors into the girls toilets and locked one of the cubicles behind me, putting down the seat and sitting with my head in my hands.

That was crazy. It was just a little static shock, that's all. What else could it have been? It wasn't as if he had some sort of power over me, I didn't even know the guy.

I sat in the toilets for a good few minutes, thoughts crashing against each other in my head like waves upon a beach, lapping closer and closer to that frustrating memory just out of reach. Why did I feel like I knew Cullen?

The door opened to the toilets and two girls walked in, their heels clacking on the cold tile beneath them.

"You could totally tell he still wanted me." Of course it would be Lauren and I could hazard a guess at who the other one was.

"Oh, yeah, totally. His eyes said it all. Did you look into his eyes? They were beautiful." Jessica told Lauren. I rolled my eyes, what a sycophant.

"I'm going to ask him to La Push this weekend. Did you see who they were sitting with? I mean, he needs to make better friends. They both do." Lauren added bitchily and I stiffened.

"Yeah, Swan. It's bad enough that Jasper and Alice fell to that loser; we don't need to lose Edward and Emmett to her too. Bella is always after all the boys. Did you see her all over Mike?" Jessica couldn't hide the absolute malice in her voice and I gasped at the vitriol. That's when I realised my mistake. They had heard me.

"Is anyone in there?" One of them tried the door and found it locked. I would have to go out there, and they would know that I heard them. Quickly I yanked my IPod out and shoved the buds into my ears, cranking up the volume and stepping out of the cubicle. I smiled at them and washed my hands, leaving them gaping behind me.

The rest of the day passed at a depressingly slow place and it felt like forever until I was able to close my bedroom door and slide into bed, exhausted, immediately falling into a deep sleep.

My fingers raked through his hair, pulling his head up until his lips crushed into mine. I opened my eyes and looked deep into his emerald ones, darkened with lust and understanding. His arms encircled my body and my head rested against his chest, listening to his heart beat, soothing the frantic panic that was with me constantly.

Then he lay me on my back and ran his hands down my body, gently skimming my breasts and teasing my thighs. His lips covered my nipple and his hand pinched the other, making me shiver underneath his touch. He licked and sucked my neck, all the way down to the elastic of my underwear, his fingers inching ever closer to the spot I wanted him to be. Slowly he pushed under the material and pushed his fingers into the slick folds of me. He hesitated, looking up at me, awaiting permission to delve his fingers in further, to explore me fully. I moaned my assent and looked up past his eyes, running my fingers through his beautiful bronze hair.

Bronze Hair!


	6. Questions

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight...I own an ironing board that doubles as a desk.**

**Questions**

**BPOV**

I was being stupid, I knew that, but still I could not stop seeing my fingers entwined in his hair. Edwards's hair. Is Edward the name I had been calling as I reached the point of no return in my dreams? It can't have been. It is one thing to have erotic dreams about a man, and it was apparent to all but the blind that Edward was a man in all but age, night after night. But to have dreams of a man who then turns up at school months later? Impossible. Wasn't it?

I was obviously projecting. I had been fascinated by his hair yesterday and my sleepy brain had confused this with the hair I normally fondled every night. Unless it had always been bronze? Had that been the elusive memory from yesterday? My subconscious trying to free this little fact?

I sighed heavily and Charlie looked at me with a look of concern from across the table, his spoon poised in the air on its way to his mouth, milk drip dripping from the bottom.

"I'm ok." I reassured him. Apart from going crazy. It was obvious Edward was repulsed by me. He made that much clear the first time he set eyes on me. Any wild dreams I may have about him would never become reality. Particularly because Lauren had already laid claim to him and there was no way I could compete with a vacuous skank like her when it came to winning the attentions of a man as hot as Edward.

I dropped the breakfast dishes into the sink and started to wash them. There was no way I could tell Alice about this development. She would tell Jasper in an instant and he would certainly tell Edward and they would all have a good chuckle about it at my expense. I sighed again, this time stopping Charlie in his tracks as he pulled on his boots.

"Honestly, I'm fine." He raised both eyebrows at me but said nothing. "I'm going to get Alice. Have a good day." I quickly hugged him, grabbed my things and left.

**EPOV**

This morning was the same as any other. I balled up my sheets and snuck them down to the washing machine, disguising them with other laundry as well. Esme was making us all breakfast as I walked through the kitchen to the utility room. She raised her eyebrows quickly but when I glanced up at her she had smoothed out her expression and fixed her gaze onto the griddle.

"Good morning Edward." She said to me as I walked back into the kitchen.

"Good morning Esme. How are you today?" I poured myself a coffee and offered her one too.

"So far so good." She smiled at me and shook her head at the coffee. She didn't particularly like my addiction to the stuff and certainly didn't approve of me drinking it so early.

"Esme?" I started, unsure of how to continue. She looked at me expectantly. "It doesn't matter." I smiled and left to sit at the table.

How was I to word the question I wanted to ask? There was no one I could talk to about this...problem...that I had. Emmett would announce it everyone within a twelve mile vicinity, and Carlisle and Esme would look at me with such sympathy that I could not stand it. I hated the look of sympathy. I had enough of that when people found out my birth parents were killed. Poor little orphan Edward. I detested that.

I had yet another dream the night before, only this time there was more detail, and I heard myself moan Bella several times against her pale skin as she kissed my neck and pulled my hair. Not to mention the feelings that flooded through me when I kissed her pubic bone. I wasn't sure that I could look Bella in the eye today without thinking about that mound beneath my mouth. The reaction I would have to that would be humiliating. I would be reduced to the teenage boy protection of a folder across the crotch. I couldn't bear it.

I could see that others only saw her as a conquest. Even spending only one day in that school I had heard more than one conversation that included Bella and the planting of more than a flag. I could barely contain my anger, growling softly in my throat as those boys snickered crudely. But then, who is she to me? No one. I had obviously met her once before, she must have been here before we left Forks.

She could never be anything to me. I refused to allow an attachment like that. I would not set myself up for disappointment like that. I simply refused.

"Good Morning." Boomed Emmett in his inimitable style, practically shaking the house as he bounced happily down the stairs, eager for another day to start. "What's wrong with you this morning Eddie?" He asked me, catching the frown on my face.

"Don't call me Eddie." I hissed at him. He laughed at my reaction and poured himself a glass of juice from the carafe on the table. Esme placed the plates of bacon and sausage on the table just as Carlisle came down from his study, gently placing a kiss on her cheek as he passed her.

"It's a bit too early for the hostilities is it not boys?" He commented, picking up a plate and helping himself to breakfast before Emmett had the chance to consume it all. It was a good thing Carlisle had some money behind him, without it Emmett would have eaten him into the poor house long ago.

"Edward's just cranky. You know how he gets when he has to be nice to new people."

"That's not true." I stated without conviction.

"Sorry, I was late last night; it was remiss of me to not ask. How was yesterday?" Carlisle looked between us both, even though everyone knew that it would be Emmett to respond.

"Edwards's friend Jasper was cool. He introduced us to his sprite of a girlfriend and another girl, Bella."

"Were they nice?" Asked Esme, finally sitting with us at the table after supplying more breakfast supplies.

"Yeah. Alice is funny, a real fire burns in her for life." I was surprised that Emmett would pay that much attention. "And Bella is really pretty, quiet though, but beautiful in an understated kind of way. Most of the boys at school are after a piece of her." He laughed and anger coursed through me.

"Don't say stuff like that about her!" I regretted my outburst as soon as it passed my lips. Emmett would not let this go, and I knew it.

"I wasn't. The other kids at school were." The three of them watched me with curiosity as I delved into my breakfast with a renewed vigour, ignoring their stares.

"We had better leave, come on Emmett." He looked up at me from his half empty plate and looked back down at it. Like a lover leaving for war, he would not take his eyes off the plate until it was behind the closed front door. Rolling my eyes I started the Volvo, waited until he had closed the door and screeched off down the drive, awaiting the inevitable onslaught of questions.

**BPOV**

I turned into the parking lot at school just in front of Rosalie's BMW and a silver Volvo. The Volvo was parked first and the driver stepped out, a mess of bronze hair followed by the rest of Cullen and I let out a little sigh. Alice, sharp as ever, followed my gaze.

"Emmett?" She asked in surprise.

"NO!" I snorted in laughter.

"Edward?" She asked with a grin.

"No." I said unconvincingly. "I'll flay you alive if you mention anything to Jasper, I swear." She looked at me for a second and nodded shortly before flinging herself into the arms of Jasper as he opened the door to the truck.

Rosalie was at my door when I turned round, jumping when I noticed her. She and Jasper must have both been trained by the same Ninja master. No one family should have that much stealth. She opened the door for me and steadied me as I leapt out and stumbled.

"Jeez, Bella, you've got to let me teach you some grace." She smiled at me, a little distracted.

"What can I do you for Rose?" I asked her curiously.

"I didn't want to ask Jasper, and Alice is always with him, so I need to ask you."

"Ok." That hadn't exactly answered my question.

"What can you tell me about him?" She nodded in the direction of Edward and Emmett. Of course this had to happen; of course she would take one look at Edward and want to make him hers. He was the closest male equivalent in beauty to Rosalie and she would only accept the best.

"Well, you know him already, surely, if Jasper does. Seeing as he lived here." I didn't want to have a part of this. It was bad enough that my subconscious was telling me that he was the man of my dreams, but to have to help Rosalie hook up with him? I couldn't bear it.

"No, not Edward." She hissed at me. "His brother." I looked at her with a massive grin on my face.

"What do you need to know? What little I know I will be happy to tell you." She dazzled me with her smile, hooked her arm through mine and walked me to class, never stopping with questions all the way there.

**EPOV**

Emmett would not shut up in the car. I deliberately drove as fast and as reckless as I could manage, but still his questions continued unabated.

"Do you like Bella? Why did you react like that? I've never seen you react like that in the time I've known you. What the hell?"

Even music wouldn't stop him, his massive hand knocking my own out of the way as I fought to stop him turning the stereo down. Finally I gave in.

"Fine! Just....what do you want to know?" I sighed in defeat.

"Do you like Bella?"

"It isn't as simple as that."

"Don't give me your bullshit about not making any meaningful attachments, Edward. I'm sick of it. This self preservation crap has to stop."

"It's easy for you to say, you never make any meaningful attachments. Just attachments of the groin." I practically shouted at him.

"That's better than living a half life."

"I'm not living a half fucking life."

"Do you like her?" I cornered dangerously fast.

"I dream about her." We were both quiet for a second, letting that sink in.

"What do you mean? Dream? As in, more than once." He had picked up my choice of word astutely, surprising me. Sometimes I forget that Emmett is actually very intelligent, it just so happens he is incredibly immature at times as well.

"For the past three months." I admitted.

"How does that happen then? You only met her yesterday." He was trying his best to figure this out, but I doubted he would get any further than I did.

"I know. I don't know. I think that maybe I met her when I was here before, and that I picked up on some little signs that Esme wanted to come back and it triggered the dreams."

"Have you told Carlisle?"

"Um...it's awkward to talk to Carlisle about." I felt my cheeks flame slightly and of course he noticed straight away.

"That's why you've been doing so much washing!" He guffawed in his seat as I felt more humiliation wash over me. "Sorry, but, it makes me feel so much better about myself when you act like a normal teenager sometimes."

"Yeah, thanks." I muttered, slowing down behind Jasper's sisters BMW.

"Wow, nice car." Emmett whistled.

"It's Rosalie's. She is Jasper's sister. She had some sort of competition yesterday, that's why you didn't meet her."

"Is she as hot as her car?" I quirked an eyebrow at Emmett and found myself laughing.

"She is just your type." Smiling I pulled into a space before the others and climbed out of the car. Glancing over to Bella's truck I noted her snort of laughter and yell of no before furiously whispering something to Alice before Alice pulled her gaze away from Emmett and me. I saw her jump when Rosalie appeared at her own door and I smirked a little as she stumbled out of the cabin of the truck.

Why am I watching her?

Shaking my head I turned away, Emmett following me.

"Dude...she is amazing...I have to know everything." I followed his gaze to the retreating backs of Rosalie and Bella.

"Tell me about it." I sighed.

**A/N: Any questions or comments? Enjoy it or hate it? Read and Review folks...thank you kindly. **


	7. Protectors

**Disclaimer: As always I don't own Twilight...though I'm beginning to wish I owned Jasper.**

**A/N: Had a glitch with the first attempt to get this up...sorry folks.**

**Protectors**

**BPOV**

Charlie was gone when I got up; he probably hadn't even had breakfast. Sometimes I wonder how he ever existed before I came back to live with him. I was sure he had lived off beer, pizza and pop tarts. He was addicted to pop tarts. It took me a while to wean him off of those sugar nightmares in the morning. There were major strops on both of our parts until he relented. I had suspicions that he had a secret supply at the station.

I showered and washed away the inevitable skin of sweat that came with torrid dreams. They had become so much more than explicit in the last week. They had become tender and comforting and protective and loving. I was confused by the sudden change in direction, but as always I could hardly complain when I woke up with the explosions of orgasms pulsing through my body. There were certainly worse ways to be woken up.

Alice had become even more interested in them, if that was even possible, secreting every little detail from me in the mornings. Taking note that they had been changing as the days wore on since Edwards's arrival. I was sure that had little to do with the change, but I could see Alice's brain working overtime, making two plus two equal five.

The weather had changed overnight. It had gone from cold and wet to icy and dangerous. Tentatively I walked out to my truck. Sure that if my concentration deviated for even a second I would end up on my ass. Not that it would be surprising to anyone, but I was eager to not fall over. I was currently on a two days without accident streak and I wanted it to continue.

Charlie had gotten up early to put snow chains on my tyres I noted as I hopped up into the cabin. He really did show his fatherly love in the most suitable of ways for his accident prone daughter. I stopped to pick up Alice, taking note of the fact that she had still managed to put on a skirt and dangerously high heels even with the layer of ice covering everything.

"Do you really think that those shoes are sensible Alice?" I asked as I watched her bright yellow car disappear into the distance from my rear view mirror.

"They are Louboutins!" She gasped. "Of course they are sensible!"

"Whatever you say."

"Not all of us have the luxury of having such a down to earth style Bells." She muttered.

"Not all of us have the luxury of our own limitless credit card." I retorted.

"Fair point. Well made." She laughed.

It took longer than usual to make it to school, everyone was driving slower because of the ice and I was no different. Finally I put the truck in park and we hopped out, a little surprised that Jasper had not been waiting for us or for Alice more to the point. We shrugged and leaned against the side of the truck, waiting for him this morning for once.

**EPOV**

Emmett had been worse than usual this morning when I tried to drag him away from his unfinished breakfast. He waited until we were in the car and away from the caring ears of our adopted parents before he made some crack about wet dreams and not being able to wait to get to Bella. I punched his arm and he didn't even flinch.

I didn't tell him that the dreams had been changing, morphing into something that made me want to get to know the real Bella more and more. Didn't tell him the feeling of belonging they gave me when I woke up. That it wasn't about the instant gratification of a race to orgasm that they had been previously. They had become more loving. If I were to explain it to Emmett I would have to tell him that it had gone from mere fucking to making love and he would probably vomit all over me. Which is what I would both expect and deserve.

There had been a layer of frost descend through the night but I still drove at a dangerous speed, knowing the Volvo as well as I did I could feel the slightest motion that was wrong and compensate for it. I was cocky in my ability as a good driver and when Chief Swan pulled me over as we made our way to pick up Jasper I was reminded that the universe hates a smart ass.

"Edward." He sighed at me through the window. "I can't have you driving like a reckless idiot in this type of weather. There are other people on the road."

"I'm sorry Chief Swan, I was worried I would late picking up Jasper and Alice would kill me if he was late to meet her." His expression changed when I mentioned Alice, as I had hoped it would.

"I have to give you a ticket. You need to learn to be more responsible on the road."

"I understand." I nodded up at him, wanting him to just get on with it.

"And I should maybe talk to your parents about sending you to a driving school to get refreshed on road safety."

"Whatever you think is the best course of action sir." I conceded. Silently furious, knowing full well that Carlisle and Esme would think this is a good idea.

Finally we were allowed to go and I knew Jasper was going to be annoyed, but as soon as we were out of sight of the police cruiser I picked up the pace a bit and was not that late. Emmett was snickering as he told Jasper what had just transpired.

"That'll ruin your chances of taking Bells out then." He laughed at me.

"What?!" I looked at him in the rear view mirror with a look of horror on my face.

"I was only joking. Calm down." He locked eyes with Emmett and rolled them.

Alice and Bella were leaning against the side of her truck when we got into school. The bell hadn't rang otherwise they would both be gone. Bella looked cold as she stood shivering with her best friend, her nose adorably pink. Hold on. What was I doing? She was not adorable. She was invading my dreams, if anything that was annoying, I corrected myself.

Jasper was out the car before I had put it into park. I couldn't help but smile at the absolute adoration he had for his girlfriend. It was sweet. Not that I was into that sort of thing. I shook my head softly. I was still going mad.

Emmett and I trailed behind Jasper, walking carefully over the ice to Bella's truck. She smiled warmly at Emmett and tightly at me. What was that about? I wondered if she still felt annoyed at my reaction to her when we first met.

"I can't believe your father lets you drive this thing in this weather." Chuckled Emmett.

"Hey, it's vintage!" Bella laughed, and I couldn't help but watch her, fascinated by her interaction with my brother. "Alice tells me that's a good thing."

"Only in clothes, sweetie." Alice pulled herself away from Jaspers lips long enough to impart this piece of wisdom before firmly attaching herself to them again. So that's why she wears such high heels.

The bell rang and we all moved off, but Bella smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand and went back to her truck. I hesitated, unsure whether I should continue on or wait for her. I didn't want to appear rude, so hovered as Emmett strode away from me to get into the warmth. Another car arrived and the identikit twins hopped out, spotting me and waving, rolling their eyes at Bella. I glared at them as I noticed a van spin into the parking lot in a screech of tyres.

Bella hadn't noticed any of this; she was too busy rooting around the cabin of her truck until she triumphantly shouted "Aha."

"Find it?"

"Oh, I didn't know you had waited." She said.

And then a hundred things happened at once. She looked behind me, first noticing the two girls still staring at us with a look of distaste on her face, and then her full pink lips made an "o" and her eyes widened in fear. Her teeth bit into her bottom lip and she winced as I looked behind me, realising the van was still out of control and spinning through the car park directly for us. I launched myself at Bella, grabbing her torso in my arms and throwing us both down onto the grass in front of her truck. My body cushioned the fall and she was crushed on top of me.

We both looked up as the van glanced off the truck. Exactly where we had been standing. The blow propelled the van back into a spin, towards the two girls frozen to the spot. The blonder one stood stock still, not moving a muscle, staring at the van as it careened towards her. The other one, Jessica, finally managed to move, her hand yanking at her friend, unable to get purchase as she took a step to the side and propelled herself out of the way.

The sound was unbearable. The collision was over quickly, but the sounds continued as the van crunched over the body of the girl. I looked down at Bella, she was staring wide eyed at the scene in front of us. Gently I placed my hand onto her cheek and forced her to look away. She wrapped her limbs around me and pushed her face into my neck, shivering violently, her breath on my neck and her hand grasping my hair.

Strangely, it was one of the best moments of my life.

**A/N: Obviously I took a part of SM's story and played with it a little...I thought it would further the devious plot in my head for my own interpretation of Bella and Edward. Read and Review....and as always I hope you like it. **

**Oh, and I squee'd like a fangirl infront of Rob Pattinson when my story got over a thousand hits...seriously....I was asked why I was acting like a moron when it happened.**

**Thanks to all those who have reviewed previously, I appreciate that you take the time to not only read this but also to let me know what you think. **


	8. Crushed

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight......I'm the proud owner of TiGi BedHead hair product that I'm allergic to. **

**Crushed**

**BPOV**

Edward had my face crushed into his neck, not allowing me to turn and look at the horrific sight behind us. I shivered violently in his arms, breathing deeply against his neck. My fingers were buried deeply in his bronze hair and I could hear his heartbeat through his shirt. My stomach lurched with the familiarity of it. His scent was as I had dreamt; his arms crushing me into his body were the same as they had been only last night as I slept.

Oh Christ. It was true. It had been him all along. The past three months I had been dreaming about Edward bloody Cullen. I managed to pull away from his divine smelling neck and made myself look at his face properly. For the past week I had refused steadfastly to look him in the eyes, convinced that I would see nothing but the revulsion that was obvious on his first day. His emerald eyes locked onto mine and it was confirmed. The fierce, proud eyes were the eyes in my dream, his hands cupped my face and his eyes searched mine for a sign that I was ok, that I wasn't hurt. His brow was furrowed with worry, not revulsion. My vision went dark and my body went limp. The last thing I remember thinking was Fuck.

**EPOV**

She was trembling in my arms, I had dreamt this for the past three months and now she was in my arms and I was crushing her against my body, reciting the periodic table desperately before my arousal could become more obvious than my increased heart beat and ragged breathing. Her warm breath on my neck was driving me crazy. Dark hair pooled around my nose and I smelled nothing but that bloody strawberry scent. I felt her pull her face away from my neck and I cupped my hands around her cheeks, keeping her from moving too much, I wasn't ready for her to pull away yet.

Her soulful brown eyes locked onto mine and she stiffened in my arms. I searched her eyes with my own for a sign that she was hurt, but there was nothing but that look of shock slashed across her face. Suddenly she went limp, her eyes rolling into the back of her head.

"Fuck." She breathed out and then nothing.

"Bella?" I shouted, rolling her onto her back and crouching over her. My desperate cries of her name were joined by those of Jasper and Alice, closely followed by Emmett shouting my own name.

Jasper skidded to a stop beside me, falling to his knees and immediately checking Bella's pulse. Something that I should have done. Dammit. I lost all of my faculties when I was around this girl. Alice screamed into her phone for an ambulance, for anyone, to come and help, her eyes dancing from Bella lying unconscious on the ground to the van still on top of the body of the blonde.

"Lauren." She said softly and looked back at Bella. "It could have been Bella. Oh, Jasper, it could have been Bella!" Jasper stood up and took her in his arms as she sobbed softly against his shirt.

"Edward, are you ok?" I was aware of Emmett asking me over and over again, until I finally answered.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine." I brushed his hand off my shoulder and took Bella's warm hand in mine. The sirens were already approaching, not fast enough. "Come on. Come on." I willed them to hurry. Emmett pulled on my shoulder.

"Come on man, they are here." Hands shoved me away from the warmth of Bella, making me land on my ass as they asked Emmett her name and shouted it repeatedly until finally her eyelids fluttered and those beautiful brown eyes winced against the daylight.

Without waiting a moment they had her on a stretcher and rolled her towards the ambulance. Mike Newton appeared out of nowhere and took her dangling hand in his.

"Bella. Oh, Bella. Are you ok?" I wanted to rip out his throat for touching her when she couldn't fight him off.

"Fuck off Newton." Hissed Jasper as he strode beside them. Newton made to push Jasper and I growled but before I could do anything Emmett had his hands in Newton's collar and had thrown him backwards, away from the prone body of Bella.

"Back off man. Don't make me beat your ass down." Newton looked at us all with disgust and walked off towards Jessica, who was still on the ground whimpering, tears streaking her face, searching wildly for someone to offer her comfort. Her gaze stopped on me and I ignored her, pulling Alice towards my car.

"Jasper, you go with her, I'll bring Alice." He nodded shortly and jumped into the back of the ambulance, disappearing behind the closing doors.

**BPOV**

Someone was holding my hand. That was the only thing I was aware of as they pushed me towards the ambulance. I know someone asked me a question and there were raised voices and the sounds of a scuffle, but I couldn't react, I couldn't bring myself to care. My thoughts were erratic, veering wildly between Edward throwing me to the ground in what could only be described as the sexiest thing I had ever been involved in outside my dreams and the image of Lauren, lying unmoving beneath the wheels of Tyler's van. Poor Tyler. Poor Lauren. At least Jessica had managed to get out of the way.

"Bells?" I could hear someone softly talking to me. "Bells? Did you hit your head?"

"Nmmmmhmmnn." Was all that I could manage. Jasper's face hovered over mine when I opened my eyes. It was his warm hand cradling mine. His face was tight with worry and he stroked the matted hair away from my forehead.

"Did you hit your head?" He asked again.

"No." I whispered with effort. "Edward might have. I landed on top of him." I could feel my face flame with the memory of being on top of Cullen. Jasper eyed the blush creeping through my face with something akin to amusement, though it did not erase his worry.

"Did Lauren die? How are Jessica and Tyler? Is Edward ok?" The questions rushed out of me.

"The paramedics are helping them all, Bells, don't worry about them."

"But, if Edward hit his head then...." I trailed off and fell back into the enveloping darkness, unable to finish my sentence.

**EPOV**

Emmett clutched the side of the door as I pushed the Volvo to its limits, desperate to get to the hospital. Desperate to make Carlisle help Bella. Alice had her phone clutched to her head, trying to reach Bella's father as I tore through the roads of Forks.

"Your hands are bleeding." Said Emmett, staring at my hands.

"It doesn't matter. Are you ok?" I asked him after I realised I hadn't even bothered to make sure he was.

"Yeah, I'm fine, my heart stopped for a minute when I saw you and Bella on the ground, but other than that I'm fine." I threw him a sincere smile, grateful for his worry. "Besides," he continued softly, "Who would you dream about if we lost her?" He snorted at his joke and I looked in the rear view mirror to see Alice look at us both with bewilderment.

"Alice? Are you alright?" I asked, worried that she was going into shock.

"Yeah. I just want to get to Bella."

"Don't we all short stuff, don't we all." Replied Emmett.

**A/N: I know this is a short chapter...they will get longer, I promise....It might take me a few chapters to get there though.**

**Please read, enjoy, review and even recommend if you can be arsed. **

**Thanks again to those of you who have reviewed, and those who have added this story to their favourites or put it on story alert, it warms my cold cold Scottish hands and is very much appreciated. **


	9. Accusations

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, SM does....I am merely pissing about with her life's work.**

**Accusations**

**BPOV**

This was humiliating. I didn't want to be here anymore. Not that I wanted to be here in the first place. If it was up to me I would never have left the school grounds. Then again, if it were up to me I would never have fainted. I groaned at the memory. Trust me to faint in the arms of a man after looking into his eyes. I would never be able to look at Cullen again. He had saved my life though, so I would have to look at him at some point to thank him.

Jasper sat at my side, murmuring soothing words to calm me down, to keep my attention. He had been told to not let me slip into the welcoming blackness. They were worried I had concussion. Which was ridiculous, I hadn't hit my head on anything but the warmth of Cullen's shoulder, and even then it hadn't been hard.

"Jasper, I want to go home." I whispered at him.

"You can't, not yet Bells, they want to make sure you are ok."

"But I am!" I protested loudly, struggling to sit upright. "I fainted, that's all." I hissed.

"I know that, you know that, but they don't know how prone you are to accidents and fainting. Though your file should be the size of a door step by now." He laughed and I allowed a snigger out of my throat.

We were distracted by a flurry of activity at the doors before I could protest any further. Alice smashed through the doors and ran to my side, her face etched with worry.

"I'm fine!" I informed her before she could say anything. "Everything is present and accounted for."

"Well, thank god for that!" She grinned at me and took my hand.

"Where is Edward?"

"He cut his hand, Dr Cullen is looking after him." Guilt rushed through my body and I groaned. Great, he was injured and it was entirely my fault.

"How is Lauren? And Tyler? And Jessica?"

"Bells, I don't know how much you saw, but Lauren isn't going to be ok." Alice whispered.

"Oh." I didn't know what else to say. She has never been my friend, but I had never wished her harm, no matter how vile she had been.

**EPOV**

Carlisle squirted something yellow onto my hand and I winced as it stung the cuts on my hand. I hadn't even felt it happen, wasn't quite sure when it had, but now that I knew the cuts were there they were making my hand throb.

"Did you hurt your head?" He had asked when we arrived; shining a light into my eyes and making me follow it.

"No. I'm fine Carlisle, I honestly am." I sighed at him. "Please, could you just go see to Bella?" He shook his head slightly and continued examining me, checking my skull through my hair.

"You need a haircut."

"I like it like this."

"Was there anyone else injured?" Emmett answered that question, telling Carlisle exactly what he had seen from his point of view.

"...and then Edward launched himself at Bella and they both landed on the ground in front of the truck. I didn't see if either of them hit their heads. But I saw...the van hit..." He trailed off, unable to continue, still in shock at what he saw.

"Looks like you will be fine, Edward." Carlisle told me after he had cleaned up my hand.

"Great, I told you, now would you _please_ go check on Bella?!"

**BPOV**

We sat for a long time, waiting for something, anything to happen. We saw Tyler being wheeled in, his face covered in glass, blood pouring from the side of his head. Jessica followed him not long after, her skin milky with shock and her eyes completely blank, staring ahead fixed on nothing. Then we saw a third person wheeled in, encased in a black body bag and we all had to look away, unable to even look at each other.

Finally a doctor entered the room, followed by Emmett and Edward.

"I'm Dr Cullen." He introduced himself to me, acknowledging Jasper with a nod. He was so young. I had expected a middle aged man. Dr Cullen was hardly any older than thirty-five, with smooth, clear skin and well groomed blonde hair.

"I'm Bella and I want to go home please." Emmett snorted from behind Dr Cullen.

"Well, I'll be the judge of that. Follow the light please." I did as he asked, following the light as it shone across my eyes, catching glimpses of the people surrounding me looking on with concern.

"The Chief's daughter then?" I smiled up at him in what I hoped was a winning way.

"That's me."

"Quite the crash, it could have been a lot worse." He commented whilst running his hands across my head to check for any scrapes and lumps

"I didn't hit my head. And Edward saved me." I commented quietly, hoping that no one could see the idiotic smirk I let escape when I thought about how he had effortlessly spun us out of the way.

"Hmm, there doesn't seem to be any damage, although your blood pressure is slightly elevated. That's to be expected, however."

"See? I'm good to go." I smiled hopefully up at the Cullen patriarch. His mouth split into a smile in return and shook his head at me.

"I think we should wait for your father to get here. Don't you?"

"Fine." I sighed at him, knowing full well that it made sense, seeing as Charlie was probably already on his way to the hospital. As if on cue I heard him shout my name frantically.

"Bella! Bella?!"

"I'll get him." Jasper offered and stuck his head out into the corridor without waiting for a response. "Charlie, in here."

Charlie pushed past him, making straight for me and hugging the back of my head into his uniform, making it uncomfortable to breath. His hand unsteadily stroked my hair and I could hear his heart calm down.

"What the hell happened?" He roared at everyone in the room, making them wince, including me. I had never heard Charlie raise his voice in my life, even when I had sold his police badge one summer to fund my obsession with all things Pokémon.

"There was a car accident Charlie, he was going too fast for an icy road." Answered Alice.

What happened next shocked us all. Charlie rounded on Cullen and started to advance with a look of utter rage on his face. He looked like he was going to kill him.

**EPOV**

I had never seen murder in someone's eyes until Charlie Swan started to advance on me after Alice answered his roar. It clicked into place in an instance, what he had assumed happened. After all, he had stopped me earlier for going too fast. The ticket he issued was still in my pocket. I backed up, unsure as to what to do.

"No. It didn't happen like that, sir." I spluttered out, realising I had been backed into a corner.

"Happen like what? Like you tooling around like a fucking idiot when everyone else in the world knows not to go that fast when ice like that is laying on the goddam ground!" His voice was barely above a whisper, his rage barely controlled.

"It wasn't me, I swear Chief Swan." His hands had balled into fists.

"You could have killed her!" His voice raised slightly, the words breaking in his throat.

"Dad." Finally I heard someone else talk. He didn't seem to notice. "Dad!" I could see Bella struggle to get out of her bed, as did Emmett and it prompted him into action.

"Chief Swan. You need to calm down." Emmett told him as he positioned himself in between the two of us. What was happening here?

"CHARLIE!" Bella screamed at him and it finally made it through, he relaxed his hands and his shoulders slouched a little. Exhaling a breath I didn't realise I had been holding in I slumped back to lean on the wall.

"Charlie, I think you should calm down. You don't usually jump to conclusions, why don't you listen to your daughter." Carlisle said calmly as he placed his hand lightly onto Charlie's arm and pulled him softly back to Bella.

"Here Charlie, sit down." Alice stood up, offering her seat to Charlie.

"I'm sorry." He said shakily to me. "I'm very sorry." I nodded at him and he sat down beside Bella, looking absolutely horrified with himself.

**BPOV**

It had taken me a second to realise what Charlie was doing. He was intimidating a seventeen year old he had thought almost killed me. I shouted at him, calling to him to stop, it wasn't until it felt like I had torn my throat shouting his name that he calmed down enough to think logically. His shoulders slumped as he sat down and he apologised to Edward, obviously horrified with what had just happened.

"It's ok, Chief Swan, I understand." Edward graciously allowed, patently glad that it was over.

"Dad, for one, it was an accident, for two, it wasn't Edward, for three, I'm ok, and for four, I want to go home already." I said softly, and he chuckled unexpectedly.

"Ok, Bells, let's go home. I'll sort the paperwork, I'm a pro at that now."

Dr Cullen walked him through to reception, leaving the room in silence as we all thought over the morning. My thoughts were still veering wildly between the horror of the accident and the thought of Cullen crushing my body into his own, sure that he had been as aroused as I had in that split second of reprieve before the impact of the truck assaulted out ears. I must be in mild shock to even think that.

"Damn, Bella, your Dad is wicked crazy." Commented Emmett and laughter burst out of my mouth before I was able to stop it.

"Yeah, laugh it up." Cullen said quietly and stalked out of the room.

"Don't mind Edward, he doesn't play well with others."

**A/N: The end of another chapter people, hope I haven't disappointed anyone. Read, Review then go about your normal business.**

**Once again thanks to the lovely peeps who are reading and reviewing and adding this to their alerts....I love the reviewers more though...you understand.**

**Over 2,000 people have had a look....squeee. **

**The next chapter is halfway done, so that should be up some time soon...**


	10. Denial

**Disclaimer: SM owns twilight and all that involves....I own a serious case of insomnia**

**Denial**

**EPOV**

"Don't mind Edward, he doesn't play well with others."

I caught Emmett's comment as I stalked out of the room. Unable to stay in there anymore without wanting to take Bella's hand in my own and place soft kisses all over it, thankful she was ok. Emmett was right though, I didn't play well with others, so what was I even thinking? In barely more than a week in this god forsaken town I had managed to not only find the woman of my dreams but save her life like some fucking superhero.

What was I playing at? I had a set of rules to live life by and I was slowly but surely breaking every one of them and it was all her fault. Her stupid strawberry scented fault. When she bit down on her bottom lip I couldn't help but want to take it into my mouth. I wanted to have her, all to myself, forever. I could have killed Newton earlier when he touched her small pale hand. I had acted like she belonged to me, and that was idiotic.

I had to avoid her from now on. It wouldn't be easy but I would manage it. When we were in a group I just had to talk to everyone else. It wasn't like we had ever had a conversation anyway; she was probably just as vacuous as the rest of the teenage girls I had encountered in the various towns and cities we had lived in.

"Edward." Bella called after me as I was about to leave the building.

"What?" I rounded on her and stared her down coldly, she bit down on her bottom lip and I had to sink my hands into my hair to stop from stroking her face.

"I...um...just wanted to say thank you." She stumbled over the words, hesitating as she noted my coldness

"For what?" I knew for what but I wanted her to say it, to make it more than just a memory in my head. If she said it then it was real.

"For saving my life." She looked down at the floor, and then swept her gaze back up to my face, peeking out from under her exquisite eyelashes. Fuck. She couldn't have known the effect that would have on me, but I felt the muscles in my groin tighten.

"Anyone would have done it. Don't think anything about it." She flinched away, hurt by my behaviour.

"OK, I'll see you at school." I didn't respond to that, I had to get away from her. I had to get home. I had to get into the shower and relieve the tension in my underwear, sparing the sheets until I dreamt, which was inevitable now that I knew she existed.

**BPOV**

Charlie would not let me out of his sight for the rest of the day. The entire school had closed for the day so I could not escape back into the halls and avoid his watchful gaze. He had called Renée before he left for the hospital so she would be awaiting a call from me, panicked with a worry only a mother could feel when their child is in an accident. Not that I would call what happened to me an accident, I had purposefully been thrown to the ground by one of the most arrogant men I had ever had the misfortune to meet.

Cullen was downright cold when I thanked him for saving me, I wasn't expecting him to sweep me into his arms and pepper soft kisses all over my face before he....I was seriously going a little crazy. Thoughts like this had swum in my head all day, remembering his hard corporeal arms around my body.

"I'm going to phone Mom." Charlie nodded at me, watching me walk to the phone, pick it up and start walking up to my room. He was convinced I was made of paper all of a sudden.

"Baby? Oh, are you ok?" Renée exhaled with worry when she answered the phone.

"I'm fine. It wasn't even a big deal. Someone was killed, but I was never in harm's way." I lied, knowing that this is what she needed to hear.

"Oh, thank goodness, I was so worried. Charlie didn't know what had happened when he spoke to me."

"Edward pushed me out of the way, not that I needed his help." I mumbled spitefully.

"Edward? A boy? Ohhh." She regressed to a teenage girl and started to question me about Cullen, who was he? What did he look like? Did I like him? Did he like me?

"Mom, seriously, we can't stand to be around each other, he just happened to be around."

It took me a further twenty minutes to get her off the phone. Usually I loved calling Renée, it was like talking to Alice sometimes, but I couldn't throw myself into it today. My mind just wasn't in it. I needed to relax and get the dirt of the day off me.

I called down to Charlie that I was going for a bath. I could only hope it would erase the tinge of crazy I'd picked up today as well.

**EPOV**

I towelled my hair dry after I had showered before throwing myself down onto my comfortable, warm, inviting bed. Esme had waylaid me when I got home, asking me if I was ok, making me lunch, forcing me to eat and tell her every single thing that had happened that morning. She cared like a mother should, and it made me sad to think about the amount of love she had to offer, and her inability to conceive. I didn't think of it often, to be truthful, but when I did I couldn't help but notice the sadness in her eyes more than I normally would for the next few days until I banished my pity for her to the back of my head. It would be the last thing she would want.

Guilt assaulted me for leaving Emmett behind at the hospital, but I could not stay there a second longer. I had focussed on my goal of getting into the shower, barely resisting the urge to pull over at a secluded spot and stroke my length whilst thinking about Bella lying on top of me. I pointed the remote at the stereo and listened to the music spill out, staring through the windows at the mossy trees beyond the house.

Tomorrow would be the beginning of ignoring Bella. I doubted she would say anything of interest anyway. I would cope and manage through the next two years without having to spend any huge length of time with her. I would avoid any social gatherings she would be at; avoid hanging out with her in any capacity. I had managed this many times in my previous homes; it shouldn't be any more difficult this time. Should it?

**A/N: Read and enjoy. I know it's short.**

**Also, in answer to Twilights Angel, who left a review but there was no reply link, in chapter 4 I didn't mean "apocalyptic", but thank you for bringing my attention to what you thought was an error. When I put that "Alice would be apoplectic with rage" that's what I meant.**

**The definition of apoplectic is thus: **pertaining to or characteristic of apoplexy; "apoplectic seizure"; Apoplexy is an old-fashioned medical term, which can be used to mean 'bleeding'. It **can be used non-medically to mean a state of extreme rage**. The word derives from the Greek word for 'seizure', apoplixia , in the sense of being struck down.

**Just felt the need to clarify that. **

**And for those of you craving some Edward and Bella one on one time it is coming, I have it planned, please be patient.**

**Before this A/N gets longer than the actual fricking chapter I'll leave you with a big hug of thanks to the readers and reviewers.**


	11. Aftermath

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight....I do own a Momji Clever Clogs doll though....so I don't mind**

**Aftermath**

**EPOV**

Emmett looked pretty pissed with me when he finally arrived home with Carlisle, having had to wait for him to finish his shift to get a lift. I disappeared to my room quickly after an almost entirely silent dinner. Carlisle had looked at me with a renewed interest but didn't seem able to form the question he wanted to ask. I knew what was going on in his head, he tried to be unreadable but I could read him like a book after ten years of being his son. He wanted to ask about Bella. I glowered at him as soon as I realised, and the questions in his eyes left.

I ran my fingers along the spines of my CDs. They were redundant now that I had an IPhone, but feeling them under my fingertips brought a fog of calm to my over active mind. I needed to dust.

**BPOV**

There was an overwhelming sense of sadness when we turned up at school the next day. Rain through the night had removed any traces of blood, but the parking lot was still taped off, making us park on the street outside school. Alice had barely spoken, her eyes restless with the thoughts dancing around in her head. Even when Jasper opened the truck door and took her in his arms she didn't spring into life.

He whispered into her ear and she smiled weakly, looking up into his eyes, refusing to look away. I averted my own gaze, suddenly feeling like I was intruding on a very private moment. Suddenly I felt very lonely. The patch of grass Cullen had flung us both down on wouldn't leave my field of vision. My eyes were drawn back there and it didn't matter where I looked I would end up gazing back at it, biting my lip I remembered the feeling of the adrenaline coursing through my body as I realise not only how close I had been to being broken in two by a van, but also how close I had been to those taunting eyes and wicked mouth.

"Morning Bella." Emmett called to me, walking over and slinging his arm around my shoulders. "Having flashbacks?"

"Something like that." I mumbled, catching sight of Cullen lurking behind us. We stared at each other coldly for a second before Emmett distracted me again.

"Close call. You'll be ok though." He said it softly and no one else caught it, but I was thankful that this hulking giant cared enough to reassure me. Suddenly I didn't feel so alone.

**EPOV**

Emmett was yammering away in the car when I parked it but I wasn't paying attention. Bella was standing a few feet away from Jasper and Alice, who looked like they were in the middle of some intense non verbal conversation, the corners of her mouth pulled down and staring at the spot where she could have been killed. Staring at the spot where I had held her in my arms and she had fainted dead away, making my heart stop.

"Edward. Please pay attention. I listen to your bullshit; please just listen to my plan to snare Rosalie."

"I'm finding it difficult to care." I told him bluntly, still unable to stop staring at Bella and the sadness that was radiating from her very soul.

"You care about some stuff." He said quirking an eyebrow at me.

"I don't. There's no point." I pulled myself out of the car and locked it, still watching Bella. She bit her lip and my stomach churned. Emmett had started to walk away and I pulled on his arm making him stop. "Do me a favour? Tell Bella that it will be ok....that she will be ok."

"Only if you actively listen to talk about Rosalie in the car on the way home." He bargained, but I knew he would do it anyway because he looked over at her and his face softened when he saw how forlorn she seemed.

"Deal."

**BPOV**

Lunch was a miss by epic proportions. Jasper had to almost physically remove Newton's hands from my hips and Cullen was, for lack of a better phrase, a complete dick. I had resolved to be just as cold to him as he had been with me, we obviously weren't destined to be friends, why force it? So, I brought a book, determined to read it and ignore him.

"To Kill a Mockingbird?" His eyebrow had quirked at me when I cracked the book open and he had been unable to just leave me the hell alone.

"Yes." I answered him tersely, not taking my eyes from the familiar and worn pages.

"Didn't think that would be your kind of thing. Though you probably think you identify with Scout." What? I was confused as to why he was even talking to me.

"No."

"Dill?"

"No." I was becoming irritated immensely as everyone picked at the food Alice dropped onto the table. Snaring himself an apple Cullen continued needling me.

"Don't tell me, Atticus!" He seemed delighted at figuring me out.

"No. Radley, actually."

"The murderer?"

"What?" Burst out of my mouth before my brain could stop it, looking up at him with a sneer.

"Come on, he was a murderer. He stabbed the guy at the end."

"The guy who abused his own daughter and framed a man for it?"

"So you are saying that he deserved it?"

"He was going to kill Scout and Jem."

"So, in your eyes, he deserved it?"

"He fell on his own knife." I said tersely "I'm going for a walk." I told Alice as I closed my book and left the table, eager to get away from Cullen and his desperate attempt to ruin my favourite book.

**EPOV**

What a dick. I was being a dick and I had broken the most important rule, thou shalt not talk to Bella Swan. But she had turned up at lunch and yet again had to be saved. There had yet to be a day when she didn't need a fucking saviour. This time Jasper had to scare Newton away before rage had consumed me and I did what I fantasised about doing to him every time he was within a foot of Bella. Then she had cracked open my favourite book in an obvious plan to ignore the hell out of me.

She was making me unhinged, so I had to bug her a bit. Had to needle her about who she identified with. Everyone says Scout, but she said no and I was intrigued. Damn her. Negative to Dill and the eponymous hero Atticus Finch. Then she said it, simply and without warning, Radley. She identified with Radley, the shut in, the man who lived in the dark basement of his family home, unable to interact with the world in the way he wanted to. Fuck. So did I. _Maybe I should go after her. Maybe you should go after her, take her in your arms and kiss her until it feels like your lips are going to fall off, _a little voice in my head said that sounded suspiciously like Alice.

"What the hell Edward?" Jasper glared at me.

"I didn't mean to upset her; I was just asking her a few questions." Shrugging my shoulders I finished my apple.

"Do you dream Edward?" Alice asked me out of nowhere, staring at me as I tried to control my facial expressions.

"Doesn't everyone?" I replied, trying to sound casual.

"Some more than others. What do you dream about?" The table fell silent as I tried to concoct a convincing lie and Emmett watched me slyly with a barely disguised smirk on his face.

"What are you getting at Alice?" Jasper asked her.

"I was just wondering. I've started a little project, about dreams, and how they connect us to not only our world but our subconscious and each other." She stated, refusing to stop her eyes dancing from my hair to my eyes.

"I'll tell you about my dreams, Alice." Emmett suddenly interrupted. "But Jasper wouldn't like them." He grinned without embarrassment and Alice laughed her laugh that sounded like bells in the wind for the first time that day.

"I think I'll need a bigger notebook." She snorted, fingering Jaspers hair as he looked at his lunch with disgust and pushed it away, no longer hungry.

**A/N: Read...Review...hopefully enjoy.**

**Another update should be up shortly, and then it'll be about a week before another one, just to keep you in the know. **

**Thanks again to everyone who is reading and reviewing and enjoying....it makes me feel all warm inside. **


	12. Bubble Bursting

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters...SM does.**

**Bubble Bursting**

**BPOV**

Alice asked me if she could stay with me that night when I was driving her home. I agreed quickly, Charlie was down at the Reservation with Billy and had tried to get me to go down to spend time with his son. I had been trying to figure out a way to let them all down gently and Alice suddenly offered me the perfect excuse.

Alice lived with her parents close to the edge of town. Most mornings I would drive out to get her and retrace my route back into Forks. I didn't mind, in fact I loved our routine, but sometimes I wondered if she should start getting use of the car her parents had bought her for her last birthday. It sat in the drive, bright as the sun and faster than the speed of sound most likely if she floored it.

"Alice, how many miles are on the clock of your car?"

"Um...a little over a hundred I think. Why?"

"Don't you think you should use it a little more? I mean, the engine will probably seize up if you don't"

"Don't be silly Bells." She laughed at me but didn't take the conversation any further so I dropped it. The car was a sensitive subject, only ever broached when Alice was in tears on my bed after a particularly cold phone call from her absent parents.

She ran up to her room and started shoving clothes into her bag. More clothes than an overnight stay would necessitate. Then she swept most of the make up from the top of her dresser into another bag and glanced up at me guiltily.

"I was thinking that we could, you know, dress up."

"Why?"

"Because I need cheered up and you know how much making you wear a dress and eyeliner cheers me up." She looked up at me in a pleading way and I knew I couldn't say no.

"Fine! But if I talk in my sleep again you can't tell Jasper." I bargained with her. She thought it over for a second before a grin signalled her agreement.

**EPOV**

Jasper knocked on my front door and I opened it in surprise. His evenings usually consisted of seeing Alice, kissing Alice, talking to Alice, touching Alice in a way I didn't want to know about, and ended by kissing Alice for longer than was considered polite. His blue eyes were a little bloodshot and he smiled weakly at me. I backed away from the door and he slouched in, looking tired.

"Are you alright?" I asked him and he shook his head slightly.

"It's Alice." Of course it is, I thought, not unkindly.

"Come on." I walked up to my room and threw myself on the bed as he arranged himself of the sofa against the wall.

We sat for a while as I skipped back and forth through the music on my computer, waiting until he started the conversation. I had never been a guy to pry, and I wasn't going to start now.

"So, yeah, Alice." He started.

"Hmm?"

"She called her parents last night, after the accident and everything." I knew little about Alice's situation with her parents, but I did know that they seemed like complete morons undeserving of someone as likeable as Alice as their daughter.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He sighed. "They are complete assholes, Edward, I mean seriously, and if I say anything about it to her she goes crazy at me. I'm torn between wanting to call them all the names under the sun and knowing that Alice loves them and I can't say anything. It's frustrating. We got into a huge argument last night and she left, just walked out of the house and walked to her place."

"Did you go after her?" I asked, thinking about the distance between the two houses.

"Well, yeah, but she wouldn't get in the car. I basically kerb crawled beside her all the way to her place."

"But you were fine at school today, I mean, she was alright at lunch."

"She was, you're right, but that's just because she has this new project in her head about Bella's dreams." My interest was suddenly very piqued.

"Bella's dreams?" I asked, trying desperately to maintain an air of detached interest, but knowing I had failed because Jasper smirked at me.

"Yeah, every night she dreams...."

**BPOV**

Alice finally finished torturing me at around 8 o'clock. Looking in the mirror I could barely see me anymore. My eyes were wider than they had been and there was an unnatural blush to my cheeks. I could have accomplished that just thinking about the dreams I have. Sighing I smiled at Alice with as much enthusiasm as I could muster, but it wasn't convincing because she just frowned at me with that look on her face that told me she was disappointed in me.

"Jasper and I had a fight last night." Jasper and Alice never had a fight unless it was about her parents. It was the one topic of conversation that would burst that beautiful bubble they usually lived in.

"Your parents?" She nodded, grimacing at the memory. "You know what I think, Alice, and I'm not going to get into an argument about it with you." I told her, firmly on the side of Jasper when it comes down to this well worn argument.

"I know, and you're both right. I know the faults of my parents more than anyone else, but when it's someone that you love being attacked you can't help but react. Like when Newton corners you, we all react. Hell, you should have seen Emmett throw his ass down yesterday." She laughed. "And Edward looked like he was ready to launch himself at him like a lion." She glanced slyly out of the corner of her eye and awaited my reaction. Thankful there was already blush on my cheeks I wasn't too concerned until she noticed that even the tips of my ears had gone pink.

"I knew it! You like him!"

"I don't! He is an arrogant pain in my ass who obviously despises me!" I told her hotly.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Bella."

"Can we just...not....talk about that...arrogant..." I couldn't finish my sentence.

"Fine. Fine." She held her hands up in front of her, laughing. "Truce."

**EPOV**

Bella dreams. She dreams like I dream. Does she dream of me? No, don't talk crazy Cullen, control yourself. What if she does? What if night after night she dreams of me like I dream of her? What if she imagines my mouth on hers? My fingers tracing the lines of her heart shaped face, followed closely by my lips?

Jesus. I'm going to have to work harder than ever to keep her away from me. Why did I have to ask Jasper about them? He only said she dreamed every night and I had to push it. I just had to needle him for all the information he had on it. She talks in her sleep, he said, Alice said she moans as well, gasping in pleasure. I groaned, shifting on my bed uncomfortably. I will not get an erection because the girl has sex dreams. I will not. But she isn't a girl, she is 17, pretty much a woman, with curves and soft skin and a light touch and a smell of bloody strawberries and moisturiser that I hadn't figured out just yet. Not that I was thinking about it.

Emmett had stolen Jasper to play video games in the entertainment room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Never a good thing. I practically threw myself down the stairs in the hope of distraction, offering to help Esme with dinner on the way past. Previous experience had wised her up to the fact that accepting that offer led to fire engines so politely declined. Leaving me the option of going for a drive or playing video games. No reason I couldn't do both.

I could go for a drive and then be back in plenty of time for male bonding. By that time Jasper would have bored of Emmett's questions about Rosalie. I could take a quick spin out in the Volvo, and if I happened to drive past Bella's house a few times then what harm is there in that? And if I happened to maybe park down the street and walk through the trees to the back of her house then there would certainly be no harm in that either. No. I would not bow down to the pressure in my pants to get a look at her again, no matter how fleeting. I forced myself down into the entertainment room.

"Give me that controller. I need to kill something." I growled.

**A/N: So, yeah, read and enjoy people. **

**Thank you so much for your lovely reviews and I will be updating as soon as I can, but I have a busy week ahead so please be patient. **


	13. Resolve Dissolve

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, SM does....I own a 6 foot cardboard Dark Knight**

**Resolve Dissolve**

**BPOV**

I hate Edward Cullen, with his stupid amazing clear green eyes and his beautiful mess of bronze hair. I repeated this silently, willing my subconscious to listen to me, for what felt like hours before I went to bed. Of course it listened to me, but put its own playful little spin on my dreams.

He moved against me with a strength I had not recognised before. His body pushed me against a wall, his feet kicking my ankles away from each other as he moved himself closer to me. One hand grasped my leg and hooked it around his hip as he thrust into to me with a low growl of lust. His fingers unzipped my jeans and he impatiently forced them down off my feet. My teeth grazed his neck before I moved my mouth down across his chest and stomach, stopping at the waist of his jeans. Elegant fingers grasped my elbows and hauled me upright before ripping his own zipper down, using his feet to pull down his jeans he slid his fingers into the elastic of my underwear, slowly pulling them down my thighs until I pulled his body back into mine and kissed him angrily.

I don't know who pulled away first but we stopped, breathing heavily, our eyes raking across each other with anger, lust and wanton need.

It was barely more than a second but it felt like forever before our lips crashed together again. His cock twitched against my leg and my fingers curled around the shaft, guiding the tip to where I needed it to be. With a violent thrust he was inside me and we moved against each other like we had been doing it for an age, each knowing the others reactions before they happened. His teeth bit down on my lip and I cried out in ecstasy and pain and all of the other emotions that were tearing through my body. When his eyes finally looked into my own I trembled as an unexplainable bomb of pleasure went off somewhere deep inside me, and he gasped,

"I love you Bella."

Wiping the strands of hair off my face I sat up after waking, staring at nothing through the darkness.

"Stupid Edward fucking Cullen." I mumbled, before collapsing back down on the bed and falling into a deep dreamless slumber.

**EPOV**

"I love you Bella."

I had said it, I had heard myself say it, and I would be surprised if no one else in the house had heard it. What the fuck? I was going to have to talk to Carlisle. This couldn't continue. I had to think about my sanity. That was one of the most...indecent...dreams that I had ever had. All I could think about was making her mine. As I had thrust into her I had actually screamed in triumph in my head. I had almost started doing laps of the room. I had to stop thinking about her, I had to otherwise my brain was going to slowly dissolve and start dribbling out of my ears.

I added another point to my list of survival; thou shalt not keep having wet dreams about Bella Swan. How I was going to stop I had no idea, but I would. I would not be defeated by my own mind.

**BPOV**

This was one morning that I was not looking forward to picking Alice up, because when I did we would have to drive into school and take part in the memorial that had been planned by the faculty. I would never have wished this kind of thing to happen to her, for her to have been killed under the wheels of a runaway van, but I did not want to sit and pretend that I had cared about her, that it bothered me that she would not be in school every day. My heart would ache every time I thought about her parents and the rest of her family, thinking about how they are coping with the obvious hole in their lives now. But the actual loss of Lauren did not stir in me any emotion more than the annoyance I felt at having to attend this pantomime of a memorial.

I'm an awful person.

Alice hopped into my truck and I drove us in the direction of the school. She had regained her sparkle in the days since the accident and the air of mischievousness was back surrounding her as she pulled out a notepad and pen, preparing to ask me the series of questions she had developed.

"Did you dream again last night?" She asked, poised to mark down whatever words escaped my mouth

"Yes." I had started to be slightly guarded, it was one thing having a giggle with Alice in the mornings about my mental subconscious, it was another thing entirely to have her write it all down. It just made it seem like she was my therapist.

"Was there any changes?"

"It was, um, rougher." I bit my lip as I told her, noting the slight rise in her eyebrows.

"Rougher how?"

"Alice," I sighed, "You know this makes me uncomfortable."

"I know, Bella, but please indulge me?" I can't ever say no to Alice, especially when she looks at me with a look akin to a tiny puppy silently asking to be loved.

"Fine. It was like we were angry with each other, but couldn't stop touching each other."

"Thank you." She smiled and wrote down more than I had said.

"What are you writing down? I didn't say that much!"

"I'm writing down my theory about why there has been a change in the tone of your dreams."

"Well tell me then Freud."

"You won't like it." She sniggered as she continued to write furiously across the paper and I strained across to read it.

I caught one word. Edward. I shook my head, refusing to be drawn on the subject. Alice was making more and more comments about the way Edward and I interact. I should never have told her about the eyes, about those beautiful eyes and the russet hair between my fingers. She was, once again, putting two and two together and making five.

What if she is right though? The question tumbled through my brain, finally breaking free from where I had it chained tightly to a corner. It sprinted away from the darkness and performed summersaults all the way down to my stomach, making it churn with the very idea of Edward Cullen.

"It's not about Edward." I whispered.

"Isn't it?" Alice replied, quirking an eyebrow at me.

**EPOV**

Carlisle told us he was going out of town with Esme when we were gathered at the table eating breakfast. _There goes my chance to talk things through with him this week_, I thought. Emmett could barely contain his glee at the thought and I knew what was racing through his mind. Any time our parents left us alone for more than a day he planned a party. Great. Just what I needed to endure, a party, where there would be people wanting to ask me questions, to get to know me. They did it every time. Somehow thinking that by asking me a few questions that barely scratched the surface they would turn me into a devoted love interest. It was not going to happen.

"There is the memorial at school today is there not?" Asked Carlisle as he spooned porridge up to his mouth.

"Yeah, for that Lauren girl." Answered Emmett, not really paying attention. If my assumptions were right then he was working out where he could get a keg and a full bar of spirits. That part of the plan was one I could get on board with; I'd sequester a bottle of Jack and hide in my room. I would manage to avoid spending time with anyone. Especially Bella.

"It's sad, I really don't know how I would cope if one of you were taken from us." Added Esme, looking around the table at us with her perpetually sad eyes.

"You don't need to worry about that Esme, Edward here is handy in a crisis." Emmett gestured toward me with his knife.

"We are very proud of the way you reacted, Edward." Carlisle told me.

"I didn't even remember to check her pulse." I told him. "Not so much the doctor's son."

"Regardless, you saved her life."

"Thanks." I mumbled, embarrassed by the unwarranted praise. It wasn't why I had saved Bella, it wasn't why I had taken her into my arms and thrown us to the ground, and it wasn't why I had been gripped with terror when she had fainted.

**BPOV**

"I don't want to go to school today." Announced Alice as I neared the school parking lot.

"Me neither." I admitted.

"So, let's not." She said pulling out her phone. Before I could respond she had called Jasper. "Bells and I don't want to go to school today." There was silence as she listened to his response. "OK, see you there." She slid her phone shut.

"Well?"

"Keep driving. Jasper said to meet us at his place."

Smiling I drove past the school taking a quick peek at the students assembled in the grounds. A few lifted their heads to look at the truck as it rumbled past but no one really paid any attention. I was a good student, I very rarely took days off, so this one day wouldn't be a big deal. I was sure I could swing an excuse to convince Charlie that I couldn't go. He would understand and not question whatever came spilling out of my mouth.

Rosalie was standing beside Jasper when we arrived at their house, which surprised me. Her face was completely unreadable and I wasn't sure if she was going to yell at us for making her brother skip school or was going to join us for a day of god knows what. When a smile appeared on her mouth as I parked I knew we weren't going to get a lecture.

"I don't know who thought of it but Brava. Seriously. I've never dreaded school so much in my life." She announced to us.

"You are ditching too?" Alice asked excitedly as a car pulled up behind us.

"Well, yeah." Rosalie answered rolling her eyes. "Of course!"

"I never knew you had it in you." She sniggered before turning round to greet Emmett. Great, if Emmett was in the car behind us then I knew who else was in my vicinity.

"What's the deal folks?"

**EPOV**

Bella was standing with Alice, Jasper and Rosalie outside the house. She and Alice had obviously just arrived. What's going on? I wondered if something bad had happened but everyone seemed fine, just standing about talking amongst themselves.

"What's this all about?" I said softly and Emmett just shrugged at me, unable to tear his eyes away from Rosalie's legs, before bouncing out of the car in a hurry.

Great, there goes rules number 8 and 10 and I'd already broken my first five cardinal rules. What were another 2 in the grand scheme of things? Staying away from Bella Swan was the hardest thing I'd ever have to do and I was failing at every turn.

"Hey Edward, want to ditch?" Asked Jasper as he slid his arm around Alice's waist.

"Why not?" I shrugged. We stood for a while after making the decision, no one quite knowing what to do or where to go. "I thought this kind of thing would be more exciting to be honest."

Bella looked like she was going to laugh, or make some sort of comment about what I said but she caught herself, realising that it was me that had spoken. Her teeth bit down onto her lip and a frown creased her forehead. I wanted to smooth away the creases with my finger tips. Wanted to make her smile and laugh and gasp and moan and cry my name in pleasure. Right, hold on, rewind and erase that. I wanted to ignore her and not care about any of that shit. I checked that my brain hadn't actually started the slow dribble out my ears when Emmet said,

"Let's go to the mansion."

He would say that, he would want to invite Rosalie to his den like some sort of predator. He had edged closer to Rosalie as I went through my internal struggle to save my brain.

"Rosalie, you come with us, everyone else follow Edward's car."

**BPOV**

Alice sat on Jaspers lap as I drove sedately behind Edward's car, in no hurry to see where the beast lay dormant until he decided to come to school and ask me stupid questions that were none of his business. His Volvo turned into what looked like a small gap in the trees but was actually a barely laid track, all but hidden, that led to his house.

"I've not been to Edward's house before. This is exciting." Alice was muttering excitedly into Jaspers ear as I parked the truck.

"It's only a house Alice." I told her, even though that wasn't exactly the truth.

It was, as they had called it, a mansion. The white outer walls were only broken by the huge expanses of glass of which there were more than brick. Even under the near constant cloud cover of Forks the mansion gleamed. Rolling expanses of land surrounded it, looking like the property boundaries were never ending.

An expanse of water steadily roared down towards an unknown resting point at one part of the gardens, beyond that sat a dilapidated stone building in the midst of renovation. I think I was spinning in circles taking it all in until someone placed their hand on my covered shoulder to stop me.

"It's beautiful." I breathed.

"I know." He replied, his words caressing me. Had he always had that velvet voice? The one that sounded like he didn't know whether to rip my clothes off or shout at me? Edward smiled crookedly at my reaction to his home and my stomach felt like it fell right out of my body.

"Sorry. I've just never seen a house like this outside Architectural Digest."

"You read Architectural Digest?"

"Sometimes." When I'm at the doctors and have a long wait ahead of me, but he didn't need to know that. He made a noise in his throat and walked away, disappearing into the open door and into the house I couldn't wait to get a look at inside.

**EPOV**

She reads Architectural Digest? I almost kissed her right then. Slowly but surely all of my defences against this girl were dissolving, leaving me with no reason to not take her into my arms except my own determination to be lonely. What was the point in that? I looked at Emmett as he walked Rosalie around the bottom floor of the house. He made it look easy, like being attracted to someone was the most normal thing in the world. Which it is, the abnormal thing in the world was me. What was wrong with me?

Why couldn't I just relax and see what happens? I didn't want to be too attached to her because despite the protestations of our adopted parents I was sure that we were not going to live in Forks until graduation. Sure that when I finally let that final defensive barrier down I would be forced to leave behind the very thing that had made me feel complete. The one thing that made me feel like a normal, fully functional human being. Which would be....nice.

Bella was standing looking around the lounge, taking in the wooden flooring, the high ceilings, and the discrete art on the walls. All of the effort Esme had put into making the house a home was evident and as Bella started spinning like she did outside an absolutely moronic grin split my face in half.

"Stop spinning, Bella." Laughed Jasper. "Come on Edward, give us the tour seeing as Emmett is busy." He scowled in the direction his sister had disappeared in.

Jasper did, of course, know every part of the house from when we were children, but he had asked for the benefit of Alice and Bella. I would do anything to stop Bella from spinning any more, from what I had seen of her she was constantly tripping and falling. Esme would kill me if I let something happen to one of her various pieces of art sourced from around the world.

"Alright, come on." I made a sweeping gesture with my arms and led them down to the entertainment room. "This....is the entertainment room."

"The massive television and shelves of DVD's gave that one away." I caught Bella mumble as she wandered over to the shelves. Her fingers seemed to travel involuntarily to the spines, tilting her head she read the titles occasionally stroking down the full length of the box when she came to one that made her mouth twitch up slightly at the corners.

_Don't do it Edward, she might be recognising something seriously shit that she liked, it doesn't mean you have anything in common_, I was speaking to myself again. It can't be healthy. But she was walking her fingertips along the shelf where I kept my own collection. Focus Cullen.

"You have a fridge down here?" Alice asked.

"Well, yeah, no point in having to go up to the kitchen to get a drink in the middle of a film." I shrugged, thinking it obvious.

"Oh, the kitchen. Can we look at the kitchen?" Bella had wandered back over to us, addressing the question to Jasper and not me.

"If you ask very nicely then I'll let you have a peak." I told her, forcing her to look at me, forcing her to address me.

"Please, Edward, can I have a look in your kitchen?" She had asked me, with obvious chagrin, and I couldn't exactly refuse.

**BPOV**

Ask him nicely? To see his fucking kitchen? This man-child was driving me absolutely nuts. It was like he knew just how to antagonize me and make me question my very existence. But I was desperate to see his kitchen so I asked as nicely as I could without inflicting any severe psychological harm on myself. Surprisingly he smiled at me and gestured for me to follow him up a set of stairs.

Cullen's house was better than I expected, natural sunlight danced across every room with the exception of the entertainment room in the basement. I hadn't realised Forks had so much sunlight. He looked behind at me once with a slight smile.

"Watch the step here." His voice carried down to me but I wasn't paying attention, I was too busy looking at the photographs that lined the stairway.

"Sorry, what did you say?" I asked as I reached the top of the stairs.

"I said watch the..." He didn't get to finish the sentence and he didn't need to as I realised what he had said as I tripped over the very step he warned me about. I braced myself for impact but I once again found myself in Cullen's arms. My fingers dug into his arm slightly before I realised that he had angled me upright again.

"You've got to stop saving me." Closing my eyes I sighed, knowing that the slight contact with him had made my face a bright red.

"You've got to stop needing saved." He spat back, obviously annoyed with me.

"Sorry."

"This is the kitchen." He told me shortly and sat himself down on one of the solid wooden chairs.

It was pretty much what I had expected, only a thousand times better. The black granite work top contrasted against the glossy white cupboards, sporadically interspersed with brushed steel appliances. It was everything I would have liked to have at Charlie's. Huge windows loomed up from the floor across one wall, affording a breathtaking view of acres of land.

I was dying to open the fridge, something I did in every house I could without being caught. I did it every time I was at Alice's, never finding anything more than a block of cheese and some condiments. Until she reminded me that she ate with Jasper almost every night I was adamant that I was going to start doing her grocery shopping.

That was when I had noticed that Alice and Jasper had not followed us up to the kitchen.

"Where are Alice and Jasper?"

"Downstairs probably. I'll go check." Cullen left through a door I had not noticed.

Smirking to myself I trailed my fingers along the counter, feeling the smooth, cold granite and was surprised at how pleasant the feeling was. Slowly I made my way over to the fridge, surreptitiously checking that no one was approaching, and opened it wide.

Condiments lined the door, a carton of milk sat unopened along with cartons of juice, including a blood red tomato juice that I couldn't understand being appealing to anyone. Cullen's Mom obviously took a lot of care over feeding her men. There were wrapped meats, bowls of things slowly soaking up marinades, drawers full of vegetables and a small portion of the fridge was dedicated, I was surprised to note, to a handful of CD's.

"HmmMmm." Cullen cleared his throat and I slammed the fridge shut with embarrassment.

"Sorry." I immediately told him, backing away from it like it was going to attack me.

"Hungry?"

"No, curious. I always check people's fridges. It's just something I do." I found myself telling him, unable to stop the words from spewing forth from my mouth. "I used to keep CD's in my fridge in Phoenix, but I didn't think it would matter in a place as cold as Forks." It was true, it used to drive Renée crazy when she opened the fridge to grab a cold drink and find my CD's in there. The sound quality was noticeably better when they had been kept in the fridge.

"You did?" He looked at me perplexed, like he was pondering how I survived leaving the house on my own without a carer. And then he said the last thing I had expected.

"Emmett and I are having a party. I would like it very much if you would come."

**A/N: I'm really behind in replying to reviews, sorry. I appreciate them very much****. I'm going to start again from now with the whole replying to them thing. So if I haven't replied to your review then I apologise profusely. Any questions can be sent to me in a pm. **

**I hope you enjoy the chapter. I have alot of work and college commitments to deal with this week, so another update will be next week some time. **


	14. Surrender

**Disclaimer: I own not Twilight...SM does....I own a hairdryer that allegedly blows vitamins onto my hair...pft. **

**Surrender**

**EPOV**

It just slipped out of my mouth. I didn't mean to invite her to the party, to leave myself with no escape. It wasn't even a general invite, I could have said that Alice and Jasper were invited too but I didn't. I had said I would like it very much if she would come. What was I thinking? I know what I was thinking; I was thinking that I'd never meet anyone else in the world who would understand why I kept some of my favourite CD's in the fridge and not have to explain the reasoning.

It could still be fine, she hadn't said she would come yet, she might be busy, she might have plans with Charlie or she might just not want to spend time with me. I stood awaiting a reply, my stomach lurching about like I was on a rollercoaster. Why wasn't it behaving? She bit down on her lip, looking up at me through her eyelashes again, fuck, why did she do that?

"Um...yeah...ok...I mean...are Alice and Jasper going too?"

"Yes, I expect they will be, once I ask them. It was Emmett's idea so I assume he will be asking Rosalie." She smirked at that.

"I think that Rosalie would gladly accept." Bella told me, giving me a proper smile for once. "Though I'm not too sure how happy Jasper will be."

"I think I'll just have to cope." Jasper had walked through the door, catching Bella's last comment with a wry smile on his face and Alice just behind him.

"I think it's lovely." Alice said. "At least Emmett will treat her better than her last boyfriend." She was alluding to something I had no idea about and very little interest, even though it was obviously a sore point for everyone in the kitchen but me.

"What are we going to do now?" Jasper slowly ran his hand up and down Alice's back as she leaned into him. He was another one who made it look so easy to let your guard down. He had been with Alice for years, never once questioning the love that he held for her. Never once being afraid to open up to her, regardless of how easy it would be for either of them to pick up and leave.

"Why don't we play truth or dare?" Suggested Alice with a wicked glint in her eye.

**BPOV**

All thoughts of Cullen's invitation were vanquished when Alice suggested truth or dare. Truth or dare? No way was that going to happen. The last time we played this I had been dared by Rosalie to flirt with Newton and look where that left me, fighting off his goddam hands every time he was near me.

"No." I told her, shaking my head. "Absolutely not. Anything but that."

"Oh, come on Bells, don't be like that."

"No. The last time we played that...it was humiliating, and now Newton won't leave me alone." Alice winced with the memory.

"Rosalie and I apologised for that." She pouted.

"And now I have to have a constant guard."

"Ok, so no truth or dare." Jasper decreed, and I thanked him with a nod. "How about a movie?"

"Fine, I'll concede to that." Cullen was leaning his long body against the counter, watching us with an amused quirk of his eyebrow.

Cullen agreed with a nod of his head and walked down to the entertainment room with us following. He threw himself down with a soft thump onto the couch as Jasper sat on one of the chairs and Alice sat curled on his lap like a contented kitten. I didn't know where to sit. Wasn't quite sure if I wanted to sit that close to Edward, but I sat beside him curling my feet under my body and leaning away from him into the arm of the couch.

"What are we going to watch?"

**EPOV**

It took half an hour to decide on a fucking movie, we were almost at an agreement when Rosalie and Emmett came down to see what we were doing and immediately discounted the three movies we were contesting. They sat on the other couch, leaning in towards each other and not touching but aware of the heat coming from each other, aware of the slightest movement. Bella was leaning as far away from me as possible, why did she sit beside me if she didn't want to be near me? I could feel the heat radiating from her body anyway, it didn't matter that she wasn't leaning towards me, I was convinced I could hear her heart beat I was paying so much attention to her.

"Well, what do you think Edward?" Emmett was shaking two DVD's at me.

"I don't give a shit." I growled at him for breaking through my thoughts, I wouldn't be able to concentrate on a movie anyway.

"Alright, three votes for Into the Wild, two for Almost Famous and one don't give a shit."

As far as ditching school goes this wasn't what I expected to happen. I'd done it before, but never with any other people. I had been fooled by the glamour of Ferris Bueller's Day Off. We didn't take our parent's prized car, we didn't sing in a parade and I didn't get to kiss the face off the girl I was in love with in a hot tub.

_No, she's only sitting right beside you_. That stupid little rebellious thought came through once again sounding suspiciously like Alice. Maybe there was someone Carlisle worked with I could talk to, someone who was qualified to tell me what I already knew. That I was completely and irrevocably fucking crazy.

Bella's eyes didn't stray from the screen once, whilst mine wouldn't be drawn to the screen no matter how hard I tried. I watched everybody as they watched the movie in the glow from the screen. I noticed when Emmett pulled the classic yawn followed by the arm around Rosalie which made her face glow and left a small smile pulling at her mouth as she leaned further into his body. Emmett caught my eye and smirked smugly at me before gesturing I should do the same before my glare made him return his attention to the movie.

Alice was staring too intently at the screen as I shifted my gaze to her and Jasper, sitting entwined on the chair. She had a knowing smirk on her face and I wondered how much she had caught. Whether she was smirking at Emmett putting his arm around Rosalie or at Emmett's gesturing toward me I did not know. Jasper had a similar smirk and I didn't think that his sister being hit on would elicit that from him.

But mostly, throughout the movie and under the cover of almost complete darkness, I watched Bella. I saw her forehead frown when Chris McCandless left his family behind without much of a thought, as if she could never do such a thing, but it smoothed quickly afterwards when his adventures began. I wanted to know what she thought about McCandless. I wanted to know what she thought of his character and if she empathised in any way, wanted to know if living a nomadic lifestyle appealed to her. What I really wanted to know was if I took off to Alaska, would she come with me?

I sighed loudly and let my head thump backwards onto the couch whilst I closed my eyes. There was an almost imperceptible shift beside me, when I opened my eyes Bella was staring at me.

"Are you ok?" She whispered.

"Yes." I whispered back to her, leaning my head in towards her so that I didn't distract anyone from the movie. "What do you think of the film?"

"I've seen it about a hundred times." She smiled softly at me, leaning her head closer and her body moving closer as a consequence. "I'm still on the fence about him though. Part of me admires him, but another part doesn't understand."

"Me too. Sometimes I think it would be amazing, but then I think about how Esme and Carlisle would feel if I took off, and how bad I would feel about leaving them behind." Her hand had slipped down onto the sofa to support her weight as she leaned closer to me. I let my hand drop down, casually.

"Exactly." She smiled at me, her face brightening, before she bit her lip again.

Our heads were only inches apart and I could feel the eyes of everyone else in the room flicking from the screen to us and back again, torn between wanting to know what we were saying and wanting to give us privacy. Her hair smelled like strawberries as always, and I realised what that I other scent that always surrounded her was, freesias.

"So, you are definitely coming to the party?" I barely spoke the question, too aware of listening ears.

"So long as you want me to." She answered me, still unsure about our fragile almost friendship.

My thumb acted of its own accord. It extended and stroked the back of her small, soft, smooth hand. The sharp electricity was there again and I heard her sharp intake of breath. Pausing my gentle caress I sure she was about to rip her hand out from under my own. She didn't move, didn't flinch away, didn't call me out for touching her uninvited. What she did was turn her palm up, locking her fingers with mine and stroked across my hand with her own thumb. I resumed my light thumb stroking as my heart felt like it was about to burst.

"I really do, Bella." Smiling, she looked up at me from under those beautiful lashes again, a blush creeping across her cheeks and I knew it was no use. I couldn't stay away from this girl.

**A/N: Hello peeps. Read it? Enjoyed it? Review it? Hell, even recommend it your friends and neighbours. I'm a sucker for a thought out genuine review...it makes me all misty eyed. **

**Party is still a couple of chapters away...one longish and one shortish...they will be up as soon as I have written them. Lots to do again this week so it may be next weekend...hopefully sooner.**

**I was considering maybe doing an Alice/Jasper POV...maybe an Emmett POV as well, to give an insight into Edward circa Chicago and before...am not sure so don't hold me to it...just thought I'd put it out there and see what the reaction is. **

**Big hugs to all you faithful as usual...be good till next time!**


	15. Progress

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, SM does....I own only half my sanity**

**Progress**

**BPOV**

Edward Cullen was nice to me. Edward Cullen invited me to his party, and it wasn't even a group invite. He had said that he would like it if I would come. That _he_ would like it. Not that Emmett would like it, or that Jasper and Alice would like. Most importantly of all, however, was that Edward Cullen held my hand. I felt like I was still in single figures age wise when he started to stroke my hand. It was so out of the blue. One minute he is asking me if I liked the movie, looking at me like he wasn't sure if he wanted to ignore me completely or lick my neck, and the next his thumb brushed so casually across the back of my hand. I had thought it was an accident, but he repeated the action and I thought I was going to faint.

When he touched me I couldn't believe the reactions that went through my body. That weird static shock was there again, and if that hadn't happened I would have discounted it as my over active imagination. The whole time we were sitting in the near dark I could barely suppress the urge to casually run my fingers through his hair, to kiss his neck, to stroke his face, to rest my hand proprietarily on his thigh.

It's pathetic how I crumble when a man is nice to me.

And now Alice is bouncing up and down on my bed squeeing like she had just witnessed the birth of the Baby Jesus. I refuse to crack; I will not look her in the eye and return her squee. I will not act like an 8 year old confronted with the hot actor of the moment. I really, really, really want to though.

"Spill it. Spill it. Spill it. Spill it." Alice had discovered her new favourite saying.

"Spill what?" I asked, but had to turn to look out of my window so that she didn't see the dopey grin smeared across my face or the fact that my face seemed to be radiating more heat than the sun.

"You know fine well what I want you to spill lady!" Her bouncing had resumed.

I did know what she wanted me to spill. She wanted to know exactly how my fingers had suddenly become entwined with Cullen's. I couldn't tell her the how or even the why on his part. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. When I had felt the static shock as his thumb brushed my skin I had frozen, wondering what the hell he was up to. When he had paused I realised I didn't care and wanted him to keep doing it. I never wanted him to take his touch away from me in fact. That sudden realisation had compelled me to turn my hand and lock my fingers with his, it made me encourage him to resume with my own light brush of his skin. To admit this to Alice would mean admitting defeat, it would mean that she had been right all along.

"Fine. You don't have to admit it to me. I know I was right, and that's all that matters." Damn her.

"I don't know what you mean." I was still trying the nonchalance. I doubted it was working.

"Don't talk shit Bells. Bella and Edward sitting in a tree. K.I.S.S.I.N.G!" I threw the first thing that came to hand at her.

"Ow! Next time, throw a lighter book." She mumbled, glowering at me from her position on my bed, holding my biology text book in her hand. How poetic.

"I'm sorry Alice. I didn't mean to actually hit you."

"I deserve some answers for the physical abuse you just subjected me to, you realise that right?"

"Fine." Sighing, I finally relented. With Alice there is no other way.

Alice proceeded to interrogate me about every little detail, in precisely the same way she interrogates me about my dreams. She wanted to hear about every breath, every twitch, and every eye movement. It was easy to tell her everything, from the conversation in the kitchen to the final moment before she had cruelly switched on the light when I could have sworn on Charlie's life that he was leaning in to plant a kiss on my lips.

"I knew it." The most annoying thing to admit was that she was right.

**EPOV**

"You love her."

"Shut up."

"You want to kiss her."

"Leave it."

"You want to lick her."

"I'm warning you."

"You want to sex her."

"I want to _what_ her?"

"You want to marry her."

"Seriously...."

"You want her to suck your..."

"Emmett! If you do not shut up right now I will kill you."

"You want to put your fingers in h....Hey! Only girls in love throw books. You might want to check yourself out in the mirror when you're practicing your alone time."

Finally Emmett slouched off, hopefully I made him bleed. Obnoxious fucker. But he was right. Ever since Alice had unexpectedly slammed the lights on when the movie was finished he had been relentless. Everyone had seen us sitting there, hands together, heads practically resting on each other. I had been seconds away from kissing her, I think my mouth was already in a vague pout shape when Emmett had guffawed and actually pointed at us. Completely ruining the moment. Ass.

I could hear Emmett whistling somewhere else in the house and as much as I hated to admit it, I might just need his help with the whole Bella thing.

"Emmett?" There was silence as he considered what kind of weapon I could have in my hands. Obviously he decided there was still too much risk involved so he stayed silent. "Emmett? Seriously. I need to talk to you."

"Yeah?"

"Yes." Then I said something I rarely said to anyone, something I rarely _had_ to say to people. "Please?"

"What?!" He burst out from behind the kitchen door, looking at me in amazement. "You said please. You asked for my help?" He put his hand across my forehead before I could flinch away. "Yup. Lovesick." He announced with absolute certainty.

"Shove it." Growling at him I stalked away.

"Come on Eddie! Find the fun." He yanked on my arm, spinning me round and dragging me into the living room.

I didn't know how to approach this. I'd never been interested in anything more than quick tension releasing session with the girls I'd met before. Never have I yearned for a_ conversation _with someone so much. Bella Swan made me think about her constantly and she didn't even know it.

"I need advice. I need help. I need you to tell me how to be like you." I admitted.

"I think we need Jasper." He was right.

* * *

They were smirking at me. Sitting across from me at the kitchen table and smirking at me like I was some sort of idiot. Like it was my fault that I was so socially retarded that I had resorted to asking for help. Partly it was my fault, if I hadn't imposed such strict rules upon myself regarding letting people in and loving people in return then I would not be in this situation. It was all my fault and it had to stop. If I had to subject myself to the smirking faces of my best friend and my brother on a daily basis for the rest of my life then that would be the price I would pay to be close to Bella Swan.

"What exactly do you want to know?" Jasper asked.

"He needs to know how to get into Bella's underwear." Snorted Emmett.

"He what?" Jasper stared at me coldly, his brain obviously sorting out the conflicting theories of our friendship and his absolute loyalty to Bella.

"No. That's not it at all." I reached out and smacked Emmett hard on the side of the head. "It's not like I want to swoop in and take the girls virginity Jasper." Even though that is exactly what I wanted to do, but that wasn't all I wanted to do with Bella. I just wanted to _be_ with her.

"Too late for that anyway." He laughed and I scowled. "Newton beat you to that already in one of Bella's not so shining moments." I had already wanted to kill Newton but now I wanted to make it painful and humiliating and slow.

"Newton." I'm pretty sure I growled

"Wow, and I thought Bella was such an innocent." Laughed Emmett.

"Look, I just want to know her, to make her give me a chance." Aware that I was sounding a tad pathetic and not caring I directed this to Jasper.

"Well, considering she didn't exactly smack you down in the entertainment room you might be in with a chance." He conceded. "Bella can be closed off, but she is also one of my favourite people, Edward, and if you are just pissing about then I will hurt you."

"I'm not." I was being honest and so was he. Jasper was about an inch taller than me and I knew I was probably stronger, but I also knew that when it came down to this then he would kick my ass back to Chicago and if I hurt Bella I would let him.

"Good. Now that's out of the way then let's get to it."

"Once you've done telling Romeo about his own fair Juliet could you tell me about Rosalie?" Emmett sounded so sincere it was almost impossible to laugh, but I had to when Jasper sighed and banged his forehead down onto the table.

"When did I become Cupid?" He asked no one in particular and started to tell me about Bella.

Jasper told me about her Mother, about how Bella moved in with Chief Swan so that her Mom could travel with her new husband. I learned that she loved to read and that she had opinions on most things but was reluctant to tell them, that she had never seen snow before she moved to Forks and that she had grown to love it. That she was fiercely protective over that ridiculous truck of hers, that she never backs down from a dare even if it means she loses her virginity to Mike Newton as a consequence. That practically every boy in her year had asked her to one dance or another but she had always said no, making an excuse about being out of town even though she would rent movies and hide out in her house all weekend.

I learned about the things that made Bella who she was and I couldn't get enough of it. I had to learn everything and Jasper wasn't the Encyclopaedia Bella. I could not wait to learn all of this from Bella, all of this and more. I wanted it to be tomorrow already.

* * *

That night I couldn't sleep. All I thought about was her. Mulling over the details Jasper had given me about her life and her likes and her dislikes. I had already known that she had the same kind of dreams every night that I did. Jasper was all about loyalty but he didn't half let some intriguing information slip out of his mouth. Sometimes I wonder if he does it knowingly, that he has a plan to set in motion by some sort of comment. I could just imagine him and Alice lying together and plotting some sort of nefarious plan.

By four in the morning I had accepted that I was not going to get any more than snatched twenty minute naps in between thoughts of Bella. Snow had started to fall heavily, already leaving a thick blanket of it over the ground. Even snow made me think of her. I was turning into a pathetic idiot. I could go for a drive, go past Bella's house, see if any lights were on, and maybe knock at the door if there is. I was now adding stalker to the list of what I was quickly becoming.

Thoughts of becoming a creepy stalker did not stop me from sliding into the seat of the Volvo, revving the engine and screeching down the wooded drive.

No lights were on when I drove past her house. No police cruiser either, Daddy Swan must be at work. Parking down the street I walked back to her house. She was in there. Sleeping. Having dreams. About me? I wanted her dreams to be about me, I wanted her to be dreaming of me like I do of her. It took me less than a minute to figure out what window belonged to her.

It took me a little under two minutes to scale the tree that stood tall and conveniently right beside it. The window was open, even though it was freezing, did she want to get the flu? It was so tempting to climb into her room, to just reach over and step in. It would be so easy. I had actually gone insane. This was taking it too far. A day ago I was resolved to stay away from her, but today I'm sitting in a tree outside her window unable to stop thinking about her. Just as I was poised to jump down and go home I heard her.

"Edward." I froze, terrified she had woken and seen me. Then there was silence until she moaned with such longing that I immediately found myself turned on. Bella was sleeping and she had moaned my name. When Bella sleeps she dreams and she had just said my name. A noise escaped my throat and I froze again. Nothing. No reaction.

I couldn't help myself; I slipped in through her window, careful to make no noise. The room smelled like her, like strawberries and freesias. She had thrown off her covers, revealing to me her pale arms covered in goose bumps. For fuck sake, she was determined to fall ill. My hands gently picked up her covers and covered her torso.

What was I doing in here? What was I expecting to happen? That she would wake up, open her arms to me and welcome me into her bed? She would scream and shout and call her Dad who would not only shoot me but make it look like an accident. It would be the least I deserved.

Her room was pretty untidy, I couldn't help but note. There were clothes everywhere, over every surface, along with pile upon pile of books and CD cases. She was seriously messy. It was endearing. I sat on the old rocker in the corner, watching her sleep. I was turning into someone I didn't recognise.

"Oh. God. Yes!" She was mumbling the words but I couldn't help but pick up on the meaning. Jasper had said that Bella talked in her sleep, but I hadn't expected it to be quite so enthralling. Her breathing became heavier, her back started to arch and I couldn't look away. My eyes were glued to every move she made. There was a gasp, followed by a moan and her hips lifted up from the bed.

"Edward." She cried my name and arched her back and bucked her hips violently before groaning in pleasure. It was the single most erotic thing I had ever witnessed.

Quietly I stepped over to the bed, looking down at Bella as she slept soundly. Her cheeks were flushed red and a slight smile was on her mouth. It took all my willpower to keep my mouth from hers. I stroked the hair away from her face and she pushed her face up to my touch. I had to leave.

I threw myself across to the tree and slid down the trunk, trying to leave as little evidence as possible. When my feet crunched down into the snow an idea struck me and once I had finished I ran back to the Volvo, speeding back to the house and the safety of the shower cubicle to remember what I had just witnessed and take myself to the logical conclusion.

**BPOV**

When I awoke on Friday morning I had never felt so rested. I could practically still feel his touch on my face. He had been gentle and loving and I had never wanted him to stop. I could practically smell him in my room. That strange sweet scent mixed with undertones of masculinity and soap. I was addicted to that smell. I was beginning to think I was addicted to him and that's just unhealthy.

The room was warm, too warm. For the last week the heating had been stuck on high and neither Charlie nor I had gotten round to getting someone to fix it. I made a mental note to ask Rosalie to have a look at it over the weekend, she had a wicked aptitude for all things like that, and it was scary actually. Glancing at the window it registered that it was shut. Sure that I had left it open when I went to bed last night I threw back the covers and walked over to it. Throwing it open I confirmed that it was still sticky in its runs, it would not have slid shut through the night. Perhaps Charlie had crept in and shut it this morning when he returned from work.

That's when I noticed that it had snowed overnight. When I lived in Phoenix it was sunshine all the way. It was only when I moved to Forks did I discover that the year had more than one season. That's when I had discovered snow. At first I had hated it; in fact I had hated Forks at first. That was until Alice and Jasper adopted me and it felt like I had more family here than just Charlie. Not that having just Charlie bothered me, but it made life that little bit sweeter when there were people not legally required to love you in your life.

There was something indescribably majestic about snow. Ironically it made me think of all things warm, fleece hoodies, snow boots, lonely cabins, log fires and hot chocolate. Smiling I leaned over to look down into the garden and saw something that made me freeze.

Below was a heart that had been stomped into the snow by heavy feet.

There was a snow heart in my garden?

Was it for Charlie?

Was it _from_ Charlie? No, that would just be creepy.

Who did it?

Was it Newton?

Christ, please let it not have been Newton. He just was not taking the hint; he would not let that night go. Bloody Alice and Rosalie and Southern Comfort haze.

How could the person be sure that it wasn't going to disappear under a fresh blanket of snow? Was it their plan that it would be frozen in place overnight so that it would be the first thing I would see in the morning? Did they close my window?

Oh my god. This was getting a bit scary.

"Bella? Did you see what was in the garden?" Charlie was stomping up the stairs; he must have heard me moving about.

"Yes Dad. " Sighing I turned to leave the room and I met him on the stairs.

"Do you know anything about it?" He was looking at me suspiciously, like I had planned it just to confuse him.

"No. I just saw it. I don't know anything about it. Do you want eggs?" Trying to change the subject I squeezed past him on the stairs and went to the kitchen, pulling out a pan and opening the fridge. When I closed the door his face was behind it, looking at me like he was about to ask me an awkward question. "Dad. I don't know what it's about." Sighing I cracked open an egg.

"Bella, are you seeing someone?"

"No Dad. I'm not."

"Are you telling me the truth?"

"Yes Dad, I'm telling the truth, and I'm mortified that you are cross examining me like a criminal." He flinched away from me and I felt like a complete bitch.

"I'm sorry Bells, I didn't mean it." I knew that, I knew that he didn't mean to pry and cross examine, but how could I be expected to tell him anything when I was clueless myself?

"I know."

We ate our eggs in silence, occasionally I would glance up and Charlie would look away quickly. I knew he had his suspicions, we weren't exactly best friends. We loved each other in a stoic silent way, but I knew I could always count on him in a crisis, and this wasn't a crisis.

Before I left for school I walked out into the garden. Placing my feet in the indented snow heart I traced the shape. Both of my feet sat in it comfortably and a slow grin spread across my face as I considered who I _wanted _to have done it. Only one name came to mind. Edward Cullen. Could he have? No, I shook the thought out of my head. So he held my hand, that doesn't mean he suddenly wants to know me.

Sometimes, in people's loneliest moments, they reach out to whoever is closest to them at the time.

There was a certified couple in the room and another two people who would be together by the time Monday rolls around if my estimation of Emmett is correct. It would make sense that he would automatically turn to me for some sort of affection. It's amazing how comforting just touching someone else's skin can be when all else seems lost.

_Maybe he feels the same way you do? _Alice's voice seemed to be my sub conscious go to voice as the words reverberated around my head in her lilting musical tone.

I spotted footprints leading away from the heart in the direction of the street. Crouching down I could make out the word Vans frozen in the snow. Simple. I'll find the person with snow encrusted Vans. An easy job when half the male student population wore Vans and some of the girls too, and on a snow covered day it would be easier. Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit according to some, but my brain loved unleashing it on me.

I didn't want to lose the heart if it was made by someone who means something to me. Even if it had been Alice and Jasper on the way back to her house late last night I wanted to preserve it. Running back into the house I grabbed the digital camera and took a few shots of it. Some from my bedroom window, some from the kitchen window and finally some from right beside it. I would take it as evidence and ask Alice on the way to school.

Oh shit. School. I was running late and Alice was going to kill me. If she didn't get her morning fix of Jasper kisses she was seriously cranky until lunch time and I had English with her this morning. Throwing myself into the car I carefully sped my way over to her house, keeping an eye out for any patrol cars. Charlie would just love that, his daughter getting a ticket for speeding.

"You are late." Alice said to me in an accusatory tone when she hopped up into the truck.

"I'm only five minutes late thanks to abandoning my law abiding ways to get here for you. You could have gone nuts and driven yourself to school." I mumbled at her, concentrating on the road trying not to slide us to our deaths.

"Someone's cranky this morning. Tell me about you dream." Her trusty note pad was already in hand.

"No. What did you do last night?" For some reason the dreams had become private and I was loath to give any details on what had happened last night.

"No?"

"Please Alice, not today." I was pleading with her now, but my pride wasn't as important as keeping something to myself for once.

"Ok. Well, Jasper and I watched a movie and did some other stuff, not hugely interesting. He drove me home and I went to bed."

"Did you stop off anywhere?" She looked at me confused and curious, wondering what I was getting at.

"Oh, we, um, maybe parked the car in the woods for a bit."

"Then what did you do?"

"Ok, fine Bells, I get your point. Sometimes being interested can come across as prying and I never once wanted you to think that you didn't have the right to privacy. I'm sorry."

"What?" I laughed, suddenly realising why she had been so reticent with the details. "Oh my god Alice. I wasn't asking if you and Jasper had sex in his car last night!"

"You weren't?" She was laughing along with me now.

"Hell no! What you and Jasper choose to do in the back of his Dad's Mustang is none of my business." I told her about my dream after that, about how instead of waking up straight after I had brought him to orgasm we had held each other tightly, unable to let go of each other. Then I told her about the heart.

"That's so lovely." She sighed wistfully.

"So you didn't do it?"

"No. I love you Bells, but Jasper holds my heart." She snickered at me.

"Funny. It must have been Newton then."

"I wouldn't count on that. You have more than one admirer at this school Bella, you must have noticed, no matter how blind to it you pretend to be."

I pulled into a parking space beside Cullen's car. Jasper and Edward were leaning casually on the side, awaiting our arrival. As usual Jasper's face almost broke in half with a magnificent smile when he saw Alice. Cullen smiled a crooked smile in my direction and my stomach abandoned my body.

"No one that matters anyway." I whispered to myself as Jasper pulled Alice from the truck, leaving me to get out without assistance just like every other day. Pulling the handle I swung open the door and prepared to jump out and not lose my balance in the snow when a hand appeared in front of my face. I looked up into those emerald eyes that managed to make me lose my grasp on reality and he said in that velvety voice he owns,

"Let me help you."

**A/N: With any luck you are still with me and enjoying this....Enjoyed it? Review it. **

**I've started the next chapter and with any luck it'll be finished quickly...though once again I am snowed under with college stuff, so don't hold me to it. **

**Proper heartfelt thanks to my reviewers and the faithful followers. **

**Any questions? PM me and I'll be happy to answer them...unless it's an ETA...because I really don't know. **


	16. Whipped

**Disclaimer: Just to be clear...SM owns Twilight and all that jazz....I own Kings of Leon tickets**

**Whipped**

**BPOV**

What was he doing? Suddenly he was my best friend? Not wanting to make an idiot out of us both I slid my hand into his and hopped down from the truck. As soon as our skin made contact my heart started to hum. He slammed the door shut behind me and when I expected him to drop my hand he tightened his grip.

"I'm not going to stand by and let you fall."

"What makes you think I would fall?" I replied indignantly. Who was he to presume that I would fall? I'm not incompetent, I've been walking for a long time now and only a small fraction of that was spent falling down, or over, or even up. He pulled me to a stop with a bemused smile on his face.

"In the time I've known you I've had to save you a few times." He shook his head slightly at me.

"I'm sorry to have been an inconvenience to you Cullen. Maybe you should have just let the van hit me and be done with it." I tried to rip my hand from his grip, humiliated, but he refused to let it go. I felt myself being pulled slowly toward him, my feet slipping on the frozen snow making me lose balance. My fists grabbed his jacket and I hauled myself upright as he caught me around the waist.

"You were saying?" I was losing my grip on reality again. All I was aware of was his hands settling on my hips, his nose brushing against the side of my face as he whispered into my ear with a soft laugh. My eyes closed as my nostrils filled with the smell of his neck. Unaware I was doing it I took a half step towards him, pressing my body into his. A small groan escaped from between his lips, blowing his hot breath down onto my neck making me shiver and his arms wrapped fully around me, pulling me closer.

"I don't remember." I whispered into his shoulder, enjoying the sensations coursing through my body. I couldn't escape the feeling that this was right, that I belonged in his arms, that my body was made to fit perfectly against his.

"Neither do I." His eyes found mine and I couldn't look away. I had memorised his eyes over the past few months, unaware they existed. Now that I knew I couldn't look away. The tiny specks of gold existed in front of me swimming in a sea of shimmering chartreuse. Muscles in my fingers twitched, itching to delve deeply into his thick bronze hair and tug on it like he does.

Beautiful fingers trailed along my jaw before he cupped my face in both his hands, tilting my face slightly as I still couldn't look away. Suddenly his eyes darted down to my mouth and I involuntarily took my bottom lip into my mouth and bit down. It was a nervous habit I started as a child and had never grown out of it. Then he slowly licked his lips.

**EPOV**

I don't know what came over me. She said something completely stupid about how I should have let her die under the van that tool Crowley almost slammed into us. What? How could she even think that I had ever wanted that? Easily, unfortunately, considering what a prick I've been. My hand acted on its own again, I was beginning to think I was living a version of Idle Hands. The little bastard just couldn't help but pull her back to me after my feet stopped. Of course she slipped, proving my point and I was about to gloat when her fists curled into my jacket. My hands grabbed at her waist to prevent her falling and she was in my arms again.

"You were saying?" My nose was almost completely buried in her hair, desperately inhaling the smell. My hot breath hit her neck and she shivered. I was getting off on her reaction to me being so close. I pulled my arms tighter around her, pressing her body closer to mine.

"I don't remember." My mouth was so close to her neck, I could easily just start kissing it and pray to, well, anyone that she wouldn't completely freak out and kick me in the nuts.

"Neither do I." I pulled my face away from her neck and looked down into those beautiful brown eyes that managed to completely undo me every time. My fingers trailed across her jaw line and I found myself cupping her face. The urge to kiss her was making my whole body vibrate. It was more than an urge, it was a_ need_. I needed to feel her lips on mine. I needed to taste her. Instinctively my eyes darted from her eyes to her lips and back again, seeking her tacit consent to do what I had wanted to do last night when her face had flushed with orgasm caused by dreaming about me. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip in anticipation and I had my answer.

Licking my own lips I glanced behind her to find Jasper, Alice, Emmett and half the school staring at us. Fuck it. If they wanted to stand there and watch this then so be it. Perverts. I wasn't going to let an audience sway my decision.

Finding the strength I bent down my head and brushed her lips lightly with my own, eliciting a small moan. I was vaguely aware of some shouting but I couldn't hear it. I had tunnel vision, Bella mattered and she was the only thing that did. My lips found hers again just as her hands found my hair, her hands balled into fists, grasping chunks of it so that I couldn't back away. Her tongue flicked across my lips and it was my turn to groan. She had me. Completely.

It was only when her back hit into the truck that I realised that I had been walking her slowly backwards. She gasped and I renewed my assault on her mouth, teasing and thrusting with my tongue until she moaned my name like she had in her sleep last night. Her mouth tasted of green apples and grass and citrus and mint. I couldn't get enough of her.

If the bell hadn't sounded I would have kissed her all morning. When I pulled away she was breathing raggedly, face flushed and refusing to meet my gaze. Her feet crunched through the snow as she ran to Alice, grabbed her hand and pulled her through the door to class. Dazed, I walked over to Jasper and Emmett.

"Well. That was...new." Emmett sniggered at me.

* * *

Bella wasn't at lunch. Or in biology. What had I done? Newton was waiting for me after class. All day I had felt his narrowed eyes on mine. Ordinarily someone like him wouldn't have even registered, but after witnessing his continued assaults on Bella day after day I had grown to seriously dislike the boy. Knowing that he had actually had sex with her made me hate him with a passion. I had passed most of the day alternating between thinking about how I had probably destroyed any chance with Bella and the many ways in which I could kill him with my bare hands. The current favourite was disembowelment.

"Cullen, I want a word." Rolling my eyes I fantasised about punching him in the face, breaking his nose.

"What?"

"I know you are new here and I thought I'd give you the heads up." He started to advance on me, trying to back me into a corner. When he realised I was not easily intimidated his confidence began to waver. "Anyway, Bella, stay away from her."

"Or what?" This kid was obviously used to getting his own way, his eyes widened and his mouth tightened.

"She and I are kind of an item."

"Funny, seems to me she hates being in the same room as you."

"You don't know shit, Cullen."

"Tell you what Newton. You stay away from Bella and I won't break your legs." This wasn't going as he had planned. I wondered how many times he had done this to other kids in the school who had glanced at Bella in passing.

"I don't think she would like that much."

"I think she would love it." I was bored. Mike Newton was seriously bugging the shit out of me, if I didn't manage to get out of this conversation it would end in pain.

"I'll tell you what she loves, she loves it when my fingers touch her..." That was it. I wasn't aware of my hand balling into a fist, but I was aware of the sickening crunch of his nose when it connected with his face. "Son of a bitch." Tears rolled out of his eyes as his hands clutched at his nose, blood pouring from between his fingers. I'd never liked the sight of blood so much in my life.

Fighting the urge to take him by the neck I walked out of the room, leaving him crying behind me. Violence had never been so satisfying.

My knuckles throbbed as I strode out to my car. Emmett and Jasper were waiting for me impatiently and patiently respectively. They both cocked an eyebrow at me as I approached, picking up on the anger pouring from me.

"They say that violence is never the answer, Edward."

"They sanction it when it comes to Newton."

"Better get Carlisle to get you a tetanus jag when he comes home, Newton looks like he has several untreated STI's swirling around his blood." Jasper snickered at me.

"Well, now he has a broken nose to distract him."

**BPOV**

Horrified. I had been horrified at how desperately I wanted his tongue in my mouth that I had to get as far away from him as I possibly could. I had whimpered into his mouth as his fingers brushed across my hips. I was sure my face was bright red as I refused to meet his gaze and ran away from him. What I wanted to do was take his hand, drag him into the truck and fuck the arse off of him right there.

Bloody hell.

Just the thought of his hands on my thighs made my knees buckle. I could only imagine how I would actually react if he ever did it. Please let him do it. Alice had a look of undisguised triumph on her face when I grabbed her hand and pulled her through the doors of school. I could read her like a book and I knew she had more information than I did at that moment in time but I didn't care.

"Bella! Why are you holding _my_ hand right now?" Ignoring her I flung us through the door into the toilets and cracked my head against the wall as I leaned heavily against it. Bringing my fingers up to the sore spot I finally looked at her.

"Everybody was looking."

"Yes, they were. It's the most exciting thing to happen in the car park since, well, you know."

"I heard Newton shout something."

"Ignore him."

"What did he shout?"

"Jasper will take care of it. Don't worry." I had heard Newton shout something about me being a slut. At that particular moment I had Edward Cullen's tongue in my mouth so I didn't give a shit, but now, now I was in a state of devastated embarrassment.

Finally my heart slowed back to normal pace and my breathing became less ragged. Alice and I stood in the toilets for long after classes had started.

"It's Edward you dream about isn't it?" Alice's voice was barely above a whisper. I had never tacitly confirmed her suspicions, no matter how hard she had pushed it. There was something otherworldly about Alice, her intuition is second to none, and yet again she had managed to be, if not one step ahead of me, at the very least beside me all the way.

"Yes." For some reason, finally admitting it to her felt completely freeing. We stood in silence for another few minutes. Neither of us willing to break the thoughtful silence.

"I think....I don't know for sure...I mean I may have misheard..." Alice started, struggling for words for once in her life.

"Spit it out Alice." I sighed, placing my head back on the wall trying to avoid the part of my skull I had thumped against it and staring up at the windows on the roof.

"Edward, I think he dreams about you too."

"What?!" Impossible. Unless in his dreams he is torturing me by being completely schizophrenic like he is in real life. I never know what mood he is going to be in. One day he mocks my choices and opinions the next he is offering me his hand like he had learned the art of chivalry in the 1800's.

"I think you love him." Alice's soft sweet voice broke through my thoughts. I was startled, how could I love someone I barely knew? I'd happily admit to being completely and utterly in lust with him. I couldn't get through a day without thinking about his hands on my skin or his body over mine as he pushed into me and moved against me.

There was nothing I could say. Every denial sounded hollow even to me. I just stared at the floor, thinking about how amazing his lips had felt against mine. Alice finally walked over to me and crouched down to lock her eyes on mine. Concern was slashed across her face as she straightened up, my eyes following the movement.

"You are still going to the party right?" I nodded my head weakly.

"You are not dressing me up though." I added quickly when I saw that familiar glint in her eyes.

"Oh, please Bella! Just a little?" I hated to disappoint her, I really did, but I had to draw the line somewhere. She would have me in some sort of Westwood gothic bondage gear if I let her have free reign.

"How little?"

"I get to choose your outfit, and do your make up....and your hair."

"That, to me, sounds like a lot Alice. I get to choose the shoes." Her eyes travelled down to my beat up Vans and I swear a little part of her fashion worshipping soul died right then.

"Puma have some sexy new pumps that look a bit like proper shoes crossed with _your kind of shoes_." She said the last part with such disgust that I laughed.

"How much are they?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. I had them delivered already."

* * *

Alice and I tended only to hang out at her place when there was serious party planning going on. Rosalie was on her way as Alice picked out items from her closet, aka the two rooms either side of hers, pushed them up against me and shook her head. This was a routine I knew well. We would spend around an hour with me standing in front of her as she held outfits up and discounted them until I reached the end of my tether and threw a fit befitting a 3 year old.

"I'm done." I told her as I threw myself down on her bed, dislodging the pile of pillows.

"We haven't even reached the new season Stella!" Quirking my eyebrow at her I remained in my spot. "Fine." Alice rarely admitted defeat so easily.

"What?"

"I just thought that maybe you wanted to look amazing tonight, but if you don't want to then that's totally ok."

"What the hell are you talking about Alice?" Rosalie's heels clicked off the wooden floors that ran through Alice's house and she appeared at the door, tossing her blonde hair off her shoulder impatiently.

"I was just saying that maybe Bella wanted to look her best tonight."

"Bella's look seems to be working out just fine for her Alice. Take it easy." Surprised at Rosalie's backing I grinned up at her. "Edward sure seems to love it anyway." She smirked down at me.

Typical Rosalie, she had the innate talent to pick up on the one thing that you are trying desperately to avoid. My mind flashed back to this morning and I let out a little sigh.

"Look at that grin, that's a grin of I-don't-give-a-fuck-what-I-wear-cos-I-won't-be-in-it-long." She laughed, pretty much spot on in her estimations. "I, on the other hand, do care, because I won't be in it long and want to see the look on his face when I arrive."

She had a point. I wanted Edward to have to pick his jaw up off the floor when he saw me tonight. In the words of Cheap Trick, I want him to want me. I also want the entire school, those who missed this morning's presentation, to know that he is off limits. There was always some vacuous little bint hovering around him in the halls or around the table at lunch. They made me want to rip out their perfectly highlighted hair with my unmanicured hands. The horror.

Alice could see me thinking through Rosalie's statement and had already turned to run and get something before I could say yay or nay. Once again I rolled my eyes at my best friend, but that stubborn little grin refused to stop playing on my mouth. I was alone with Rosalie as Alice rummaged through her wardrobes; I could hear her throwing things down accompanied by the occasional muttering about how it just wouldn't do.

"Has Emmett ever mentioned me?" She said it slowly, like the words were paining her as she spoke them. I had never seen Rosalie vulnerable and it was disconcerting. There was a nervous look on her face, like she did not want to know the answer but she was desperate to know where she stood.

"All the time Rose." At once the nervousness disappeared and was replaced with a beatific smile. How she was worried I have no idea. She looked like a goddess, she had a face that would launch a thousand ships and a body that I would kill to have. Besides all of her physical attributes, however, she was whip smart, adept at everything she did and when she let her guard down she was one of the best people I had ever met.

"Really?"

"Of course. He is besotted with you."

"Edward is with you as well, you know." That surprised me when it really shouldn't have, Rosalie was also a people watcher and she could easily tell you what another person thought about you before they had even formed a concrete thought about it. My self – preservation kicked in and refused to believe it this time.

"I wouldn't say that."

"I would, Bella, and I know what I'm talking about. He watches you when he thinks that no one can see him." She kicked off her shoes and climbed up beside me on the bed, careful to not crease any part of her clothing. That's a skill I would kill to have. "His face, Bella, I swear I have never seen a boy look at a girl with such...love before." My stomach flipped and I felt an excitement build within me.

"Really?" I squeaked. Aware that I was replicating Rosalie's words and not caring.

"Hell yes. He looks at you like he wants to protect you, love you, care for you, provide for you, sweep you up in his arms and never let you go. It's beautiful to watch." She smiled at me widely and genuine and I felt like I was going to die with happiness. Until that pesky self – preservation kicked in again and once again refused to accept that someone would love me that much.

Regardless, I wanted him to pick his jaw up off the ground when he saw me tonight and that's where Alice comes in.

Right on cue she tumbled into the room carrying what seemed like hundreds of different items, laying them gently down in front of me like she was presenting me with the meaning of life. There was a pleadingly hopeful smile on her face as she awaited my reaction.

"Fine. Do with me what you will." She actually clapped her hands with happiness when I relented and I resigned myself to some serious pain before the night was finished.

**EPOV**

There were three trucks waiting in front of the house when I pulled up. Emmett had done some quick work as I spied a set of turntables being lifted from the back of one truck and a few kegs from the back of another. Call him what you will, but he could throw together a party in a new town in record time. Jasper immediately went over to worship at the altar of the turntables and Emmett ran over to unlock the door to get everything into the house whilst I sat with my head in my hands, yawning so much my eyes started to tear.

She hadn't come back to school. The entire day was spent wondering how the hell I fixed something I wasn't sure how I broke. Alice had been completely absent too, leaving Jasper antsy and annoyed even after he had called her at lunch. She had been vague according to Jasper, but he could have just been playing vague himself. I was aware of just how much he loved Bella in such a different way to Alice but with the same ferocity and that could have kept him quiet.

Had I hurt her?

It would kill me if I hurt her. After years of refusing to make any sort of connection I had finally just broken all the damn rules and let go. I had let her get under my skin and where had that left me? Sitting in my car, head in hands and looking like I'm a pathetic crying pussy. Awesome.

Jasper traipsed back to the car and hauled my door open.

"It's not that bad, Edward, just don't cry about it."

"I'm not crying you tool."

"Don't be so defensive, it's ok for men to cry too." He was needling me on purpose.

"What did Alice say?! Is Bella ok?!" I was desperate to know if I'd completely fucked my chances with her and finally Jasper caught up to the fact that I was falling apart not knowing.

"Jesus. She has completely hooked you in."

"How to state the obvious, Jasper, thanks for that, really fucking helpful." I mumbled, pushing past him and raking my fingers through my hair, pulling lightly at the ends. It drove Esme mad when I did it, but it made me feel better, like I was pulling out all the bad stuff from my head.

"They are both fine and at Alice's getting ready for the party." My heart started to beat rapidly and the relief that flooded through me was making me a little high.

"She is still coming?" He chuckled at the desperate happiness in my voice.

"Yes. God, who knew you could be so whipped?" Laughing he ducked out of reach of my tender knuckles and glided serenely through the front door.

Smug spry bastard that he is.

Emmett was in full Operation P.A.R.T.Y mode when I finally crossed the threshold. The delivery guys had somehow been roped into moving all of the furniture down into the entertainment room before they did anything else. There was only the bare minimum of furniture left on the ground floor. The white sofas were missing along with anything else lighter than dark brown just in case. This was years of seriously honing a skill. There had been a few stellar moments of complete insanity at parties past and he had learned never to make the same mistake twice. An entire semester of being grounded tends to do that to a guy.

The bar was being assembled and stocked with a huge variety of spirits; it even had working beer taps. This was looking like it was going to exceed even Emmett's expectations. Sneakily I grabbed a bottle of Jack from it and took it up to my room. If Bella didn't turn up I might just need it. If Bella _did_ turn up _we_ might just need it.

_Please let her turn up._

I was so tired after having shit all sleep the night before and this morning felt like a lifetime ago already. It felt wrong when she wasn't in my arms. Jasper was right, I am whipped. She didn't even know it. I lay down on my bed and felt the comfort flood into my brain and through my tired bones. A quick nap could be just what I needed. I tried to fight it for a minute, my brain working furiously to keep me awake but eventually I let myself fall back into the black spot of sleep, sure that party noises would wake me when the time came.

**A/N: Thank you lovely lovely people for reading and adding this to alerts and reviewing, I love reading them...I got 100 reviews and although it's nowhere near the likes of Red Line and Wide Awake in reviews I don't care because you are all so lovely!**

**As always, any questions feel free to PM me and I will do my best to clarify and answer them. **


	17. Longer I Wait the Harder I'm Gonna Fall

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight...I own an OptiMash Prime.**

**A/N: I usually hate A/Ns at the start of a chapter, but I'm gonna do it.**

**Felt I should just warn you all that I have shoehorned a Jasper POV in...just cos I love him.**

**To me it flowed right, and it's fairly short anyhoo. I hope that none of you hate it!**

**Enjoy!**

**Longer I wait the Harder I'm Gonna Fall**

**BPOV**

Vibrations from the pounding music travelled through the floor boards and up through the soles of my shoes. Already unsteady thanks to the Stella McCartney heeled boots Alice had somehow talked me into it wasn't easy for me to remain upright. Apparently the cute little Puma pumps didn't go with the mood of the outfit.

Whatever.

I could also blame the copious amounts of Southern Comfort and Coke that I had consumed since arriving at the Cullen house in a lame attempt to sooth my wounded ego.

Cullen had kissed me, made my legs buckle and my underwear wet only this morning leaving me with a need to be owned by him. Alice and Rosalie had spent hours turning me into a heightened version of me with various potions and lotions with names I could barely pronounce, their good intentions being slowly but surely eroded the drunker I was getting.

I'd spent all day anticipating his lips crushing back down onto mine.

But he wasn't here.

Fucktard.

Rosalie had immediately glued herself to Emmett's side when we arrived. I could see her now, flicking her hair and laughing in delight when he took some of it between his thumb and middle finger whilst whispering something into her ear. I'd never seen her been quite so...girlish before. It made me jealous, not because it was Emmett but because I wanted someone's eyes to shine with that kind of attraction when they looked at me.

Southern Comfort turns me into a pitiful bitch.

Determined to pull myself out of my own little pity party I walked back over to the bar to get another drink, I should maybe swap over to Jack. Nothing wrong with mixing it up a little bit now and again.

"Jack and Coke." I slurred over the music to the guy behind the bar, banging my body into the bar unable to stop my body propelling forward. My fingers massaged the spot on my hip as he looked for my chosen drink, Jesus that was sore. Yet another reason I should never be wearing heels, let alone when drunk. It's like wearing roller skates; I was never able to stop when I got going. Thank god Alice hadn't tried to fit me into a skirt, that would have been a disaster in the making and she realised that.

The jeans that she poured me into fit so tight they felt like a second skin. Held up by clinging onto my hips with a studded belt alone. I had made a mental note to not crouch down, they would slide halfway down my ass if I did. At least the soft midnight blue ballerina top was comfortable, even if it was on backwards and baring the expanse of my back to those behind me. It was vaguely comforting knowing that at least my tits wouldn't be falling out of my top at any point of the night. Even if I wanted them to at some point in the privacy of a bedroom and with someone's mouth about to softly....

Shit.

I'd better stop thinking like this, I was getting seriously worked up and with no way to relieve the pressure building around my pelvis it was just going to get worse and worse. By the end of the night I would be pushing up against anything I could find just to get that sweet release like a fucking dog in heat.

"Hey darlin'." I hadn't noticed I was sliding slowly but surely down the bar to the floor until Jasper had slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me upright.

"Hey Jasper!" I was grinning widely and talking loudly.

"Bella." He grinned at me, gesturing something at the bar tender.

"I think I'm drunk."

"But are you happy drunk?"

"I reckon I'm pretty happy drunk right about now." The pity party had left the building and all I had been left with was a distinctly happy buzz.

And the burning need to see Cullen.

"Where the fuck is Cullen?" Jasper's eyes widened and he smirked at me.

"I don't know Bells. Why don't you ask Emmett?"

"Emmett looks pretty busy right about now." I pointed over to where he was standing with his hands on Rose's hips, pulling her body into his and placing a gentle kiss on her mouth. Jasper's forehead creased in disgust and he looked away.

"I wish I hadn't seen that."

"It's only gonna get worse!" I laughed at him.

Drinks had appeared beside us on the bar and Jasper picked them up. He gestured for me to follow him and I walked precariously behind him, careful to not pick up speed and smack into his back when he stopped. Alice was sitting on one of the sofas talking to Angela. I was glad Angela had taken an evening off from being Little Miss Studious. She very rarely hung out with us because she was always researching and studying. I was pretty sure she had already picked out the colleges she was going to apply to next year.

"Angela!" I launched myself down beside her and wrapped my arms around her waist, hugging her tightly before letting her go.

"Bella, how drunk are you?" She was laughing as I pulled my arms back and tried to focus on her pretty face.

"I'm a little buzzy." I laughed back.

"Where's Edward?" She had a knowing glint in her eye and I could tell she had been part of the audience this morning, though I knew that she would have averted her gaze quickly trying to give us privacy even though that was impossible.

"Fucked if I know." Words blurted out of my mouth making the three of them laugh at me.

We sat for a while drinking our drinks, talking and laughing as I grew progressively more annoyed at Cullen not being around. Rosalie and Emmett had long since disappeared from behind the decks after hooking up an IPod. Jasper had watched their exit towards the stairs in disgust until Alice had stroked her fingers along his jaw and dropped a kiss of his mouth. Normally I don't mind being the odd one out. If I had never met Edward bloody Cullen I would have smiled at this display of affection and I wouldn't have minded when Angela started to eye fuck Ben from across the room.

Tonight, however, it was making me die a little inside.

**Jasper POV**

Bella looked miserable. I hated it when either of my girls looked miserable. Alice was easy to cheer up, a simple kiss on her soft sweet lips would bring out a smile that blinded me and made my stomach contract. Bella isn't so easy to cheer up. She has a melancholic soul. There is sadness in her that even Alice hasn't picked up on. It rolls off her in waves some days. There is no pattern to it that I can see anyway, she can go for weeks being just Bella and then there will be days when I can look into her eyes and see trouble.

She will fight it and hide it and I pretend not to notice it. Then she will reach a dangerous stage of recklessness when she doesn't think anything can touch her. I don't even think she is aware of it herself. The last time it happened we had played truth or dare. I had been against it but when Alice and Rosalie team up there is no fighting them. Bella had a dangerous glint in her eye when she had stalked off to Mike Newton and engaged him in what one could laughably call flirting.

Bella, bless her, is not the best flirter in the world. She does it unconsciously perfectly, but when it comes down to doing it on purpose it is difficult to watch. I had tried to go after them when Newton had led her away to a secluded spot, knowing this was something Bella would regret in the morning. I never dreamed he would take it to the extreme. What kind of man took advantage of an obviously too drunk woman? Mike Newton that's who. I'd disliked him before but after that I hated him.

Where was Edward? I knew that was why she was in this kind of mood. Alice had spent all day with her, talking to her and helping her get ready for this party, she had told me that Bella was full of conflicting emotions regarding Edward. There was an overwhelming emotion though, one that Alice didn't need to tell me about. Love.

He was probably asleep in his room. He was yawning so hard this afternoon he had tears in his eyes. Sometimes it's just too hard to let something slide so I teased him about it, putting him in a pretty bad mood. Hopefully his nap will cheer him up.

"Where's Edward?" Alice put her lips to my ear and whispered so that Bella would not overhear. Her warm breath in my ear sent shivers down my spine. Slipping a hand into her inky short hair I pulled her ear to my own lips, softly kissing along her jaw before whispering back.

"I think he is napping." She laughed softly and I saw a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Don't Alice, whatever you are thinking, just don't." I warned her firmly. She always had people's best interests at heart, but sometimes she needs to let things play out naturally.

"You're a spoil sport Jasper Hale." She pouted at me and I couldn't resist kissing her and gently biting that protruding bottom lip. She tasted of cinnamon and other warm spices that made me feel comforted and aroused at the same time. She wasn't mad at me; she uses my middle name when she is.

I noticed a change in the atmosphere in the room. It was slight, but suddenly there was a tension I could feel. Glancing around I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. I hate when this happens, it's something I can't explain but with the amount of people in the house everyone is bound to be picking up on other people's feelings. But I couldn't see the source of the sudden tension in the room.

Bella started to get up; wobbling in the heels Alice had somehow convinced her to wear. I watched her walk back to the bar, her feet walking faster and faster until she smacked right into like she had earlier. Shaking my head I turned my attention back to Alice who was watching her too with a little frown on her perfect forehead. I was torn between concern for Bella and my sudden need to be touching and kissing my girlfriend.

I'm a teenage boy.

Lust won.

**BPOV**

Fuck.

That hurt.

Where's my drink bartender?

Did I just say that out loud?

Where's my dignity?

Shit, I definitely said that out loud, the bartender is laughing at me.

I'm bored now.

I should take my shoes off.

Where's the bathroom?

I stumbled off in the direction of what I thought was the bathroom and found myself witnessing something I never wanted to see Angela and Ben performing. Part of me was impressed though, she's a fast worker. I'd only been apart from her for ten minutes.

Maybe it was longer?

I'm a wanderer when drunk. Time is forgotten and I walk around in my own little world. How I was still upright was a mystery but I was managing. I was pretty sure that I hadn't fallen over at any point. Stumbling doesn't count.

Quickly I closed the bathroom door and heard one of them lean over to lock it. Good plan.

Edward.

Where the fuck is he?

What a tool, being all "I would like it if you came" and then not even showing up himself. After the way he kissed me this morning as well.

Could he just be playing with me?

No, Jasper would kick his sorry ass on my behalf and Edward wouldn't risk that. I knew he wouldn't risk his friendship with Jasper; it was the only one that mattered to him out with his relationships with his family. I haven't known him long but I know that.

I leaned against the wall in the hall, tempted to head down to the entertainment room and have sleep on the couch, or maybe even watch a movie. That would be nice right about now. I'll just have a rest here for a while. Sliding down the wall I landed with a thump on my ass.

I like this song, what is it?

_Hey! You'__re playing with my delirium  
and the longer I wait the harder I'm gonna fall  
Stop! Playing with my delirium  
Coz I'm outta my head and outta my self control  
Hey! You're playing with my delirium  
and the longer I wait the harder I'm gonna fall  
Stop! Playing with my delirium  
Coz I'm outta my head and outta my self control _

Wow, that seems pretty fitting.

I turned round and crawled towards the door along the hall. Eager to get away from the pulsating masses. I could feel the bass through my hands and the beat soothed me as I slowly made my way along. Please let it be unlocked. With any luck Emmett had forgotten to lock this door.

There were locks on all the doors in the house. All the doors I had seen anyway. It struck me as odd. Forks is a pretty safe town, Charlie rarely had some juicy crime to solve. Yet there were locks all over the place. I had noticed the shutters from outside as well. Half the building was glass and there were shutters hovering over it, ready to slam down in the event of an emergency. It was like the Cullen's were expecting some sort of raid. I'm pretty sure that if I looked hard enough I would find a panic room somewhere, maybe an escape tunnel or a nuclear bunker.

Yes!

The door swung open easily and I slid down the stairs on my ass, not trusting myself to manage to do it standing up. I really have to take these boots off.

Part of me was worried that I was about to walk in on Emmett and Rosalie, but I vaguely remembered that he had led her up the stairs and not down them. They hadn't been seen since. Rose is a fast worker. Or Emmett is. Maybe both. Made for each other then.

I'm not even making sense to myself.

_You should have gone up. _

Jesus, now my brain tells me. Maybe I should just have a rest and then make my way up the stairs.

My fingers fumbled getting the boots off, until I used my feet as well until I finally kicked the damn boots off and the feeling came back to my toes. I sighed with pleasure, it felt so good to be able to wiggle my toes. I should have just worn my damn Vans.

I climb up onto the couch, lying on my stomach and letting my eyes drift shut.

I was only slightly aware of the footsteps on the stairs. The steps were heavy and I could tell they didn't belong to a girl. My heart started to pick up speed as my brain tried to convince me it was Edward.

Finally he had arrived.

He had come to find me.

My stomach was flipping with excitement.

He moved over to where I was lying and stood above me, neither of us moving. I was squeezing my eyes shut, too scared to open them, unsure what kind of expression would greet me. I never knew if he was going to be nice to me or be a dick.

He shifted his weight and crouched down beside me. I could hear the shifting of the fabric of his clothes as he reached his hand out and stroked his fingers across my bare back.

Something felt off.

He didn't smell right.

He didn't feel right.

His hand didn't feel right.

"Bella." He breathed and then I knew what was off the most.

It wasn't Edward.

It was Newton.

**EPOV**

Five fucking hours.

I had slept for five fucking hours.

That wasn't a nap...it was a coma.

I could barely hear the music from up here. Had Emmett cancelled the party and not told me?

I rubbed at my eyes, trying to shift the grit from them that was hurting my eyes. My tongue ran across my teeth and they felt gritty too.

I stretched out my entire body, letting a loud groan out of my mouth. I needed to shower.

I couldn't believe it was almost ten o'clock. Bella would be downstairs wondering where the fuck I was. I had practically begged her to come and I couldn't even be bothered to show up.

She would be hating the very soul of me right now.

Getting up I quickly threw myself in the shower, my toothbrush in my mouth as I washed my hair and body with a speed I hadn't known I possessed.

I needed to be near her. I have finally given in and now I don't want to be apart from her. I need to know that she is safe and cared for and loved. I wanted to be the person to give her that. I wanted to be the person that she confided in. The person she wants to see first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

I towel dried my hair and pulled on a t-shirt and jeans not bothering with shoes. As soon as I unlocked the door to my room and pulled it open I heard the music. It sounded like Emmett had hooked up an IPod to the decks and...yup...from the noises emanating from his bedroom as I passed it he had lured Rosalie into it.

Rolling my eyes I jogged down the stairs, immediately scanning the room for Bella. She wasn't here.

Fuck.

She had probably already left, completely pissed the fuck off with me.

I needed a drink.

"Jack and Coke." I shouted out to one of the bar tenders as I spotted Jasper kissing Alice up against a wall. They seemed quite involved but I needed to ask about Bella. I grabbed my drink and stomped over to them; my fingers unwillingly went to Jasper's shoulder and tapped him gently. He rolled his shoulder to throw my hand off him and I pulled him back slightly.

"What?" He growled, his face flushed red and a seriously pissed off look on his face until he realised it was me.

"Sorry." Grinning sheepishly I held up my hands in surrender.

"It's ok Edward." Alice peeked out from under his arm and grinned widely at me.

"Do you know where Bella is?"

"She went off a little while ago to the bar."

"Where the hell have you been?" Alice had come from behind Jasper and was jabbing her little finger into my chest, full of injustice on Bella's behalf.

"I fell asleep." I admitted sheepishly.

"Well, she looked fantastic and you missed it."

"She always looks fantastic Alice, some make-up and designer clothes don't change that fact." I frowned and she beamed at me before wandering off leaving me to talk to Jasper.

"Where's she off to?" Jasper mumbled as we watched her head over to the decks and begin fiddling with the IPod that was sitting there.

"So, Bella?" I was beginning to feel anxious, a burning need to find her was almost consuming me. Just as he was about to say something Ben and Angela walked past.

"Did you see his face? It looks like someone beat the shit out of him." Ben said to Angela as he snaked his arm around her waist.

"There is a long list of people who want to do that." Angela laughed in response.

Jasper caught my eye and I knew he was thinking what I was. There was a moment as we stared at each other before we spoke at the same time.

"Newton." I was vaguely aware of Bobby Darin coming through the speakers as Jasper and I moved towards Alice.

_Dream lover, where are you  
with a love, oh, so true?  
And a hand that I can hold,  
to feel you near as I grow old?  
'cause I want (yeah-yeah yeah)  
A girl (yeah-yeah yeah)  
To call (yeah-yeah yeah)  
My own (yeah-yeah)  
I want a dream lover so I don't have to dream alone_

Jasper threw Alice a disgusted look as we approached her. My look was probably not far off completely discombobulated. I knew what she was getting at, but she would never get that information out of me. I would never admit to anyone else that I had been dreaming about Bella. Emmett knew and he was one person too many. I still couldn't believe I had confessed to him but I was going out of my mind.

Much like I am now.

If Newton had the balls to come to my house it meant only one thing.

He was out for revenge.

He was out for Bella.

"Alice, think, where did you see Bella last?" Jasper asked with urgency.

"I think she was headed over that way when I last spotted her, but you had me up against that wall seconds after so I'm not sure." Her hand gestured towards the hall where several doors stood.

I took off down it and tried every door there. Emmett had locked them all before the party started. Unless someone had locked it behind themselves? The only other room Bella had spent time in was the entertainment room and that door was locked too. Grabbing Jasper's arm I dragged him through to the kitchen and down the stairs into the room from there.

My feet barely touched the steps and I launched myself down the last half as I heard Bella shouting. Jasper landed beside me and we were greeted by a sight that made me see red.

I had always thought it was just an expression, but it felt like something in my brain exploded and red flashed across my vision.

"I said NO, Mike." He had backed her into a corner; her hands were pinned down at her side as he pushed his lips onto her neck. "Stop." She was struggling against her imprisonment, trying to bring her knee up to his crotch but unable to.

Jasper was going to have to make sure I didn't kill him.

"Newton." I growled and he turned round, tensed for a fight.

**A/N: So there you have it folks....a party chapter. **

**It went down a different route than I had planned, it's not even close to the absolute fluff I had planned, but my fingers refused to write it.**

**This has been ready for days...pesky login probs.**

**Some proper Edward and Bella interaction next chapter...I know it has been a long time coming so thank you for your patience!**

**Enjoyed it? Review it!**

**I love hearing about the bits you enjoyed...they are usually the bits I enjoyed writing most.**

**Thanks to all who have reviewed and have been faithful to the story. **

**Oh, and finally, to the reviewer who asked if I knew what the legal drinking age is....Yes, I do. **


	18. Fight Club

**Disclaimer: As always...I don't own Twilight, SM does....I own too much music that I haven't backed up.**

**A/N: A quick note to say that there is a slight lemony flavour towards the end...Ye Be Warned.**

**Fight Club**

**BPOV**

I sobered up pretty fucking quickly when my skin started to crawl with Mike's hands on it. As soon as I realised it was him I swatted his hand away and rolled off the couch, crashing into him and making him fall as I stood up. His eyes were black with bruises from what looked like a broken nose. I was curious as to what had happened but I wanted out of the room. I turned to run up the stairs but he latched onto my arm and yanked me back.

The gentle caress of my back was long gone, there was nothing gentle about the way he hauled me backwards.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I screamed at him, knowing that no one would hear me above the music filtering in from above.

"Stop trying to fight it Bella, stop fighting_ us_." I couldn't help it, I laughed. Snorted actually. That just made him mad as hell. His fingers dug into the flesh on my arm and I cried out in pain from it.

"Take. Your. Goddam. Hands. Off. Me." I gritted my teeth, seething with anger. Who the hell did he think he was?

"You didn't say that last time you and I were alone at a party." He lowered his voice in an attempt to be seductive but it was pathetic and creepy.

"That's because I couldn't speak, you moron. I was wasted and you fucked me because I didn't have the mental facilities left to say no at the time."

"You said yes a lot."

"I think you're confusing the two minutes you spent inside me with the time you spend watching porn."

"You're a bitch." He looked like he was itching to hit me, his hand curling and uncurling into fists.

"You're going to regret it if you don't leave me alone." He glared at me, his face only inches away from my own. His breath stank of cheap alcohol and his eyes looked crazed. I was sure he was on something else, probably the pain killers for his nose. Which reminded me. "What happened to your nose?"

"Your boy Cullen blindsided me." Edward had done that?

"My boy? Why?"

"I had words with him about you."

"What gives you the right to do that Mike? What happens between Edward and I is none of your fucking business."

His hand was still on my arm and he yanked me closer, forcing his mouth down onto mine, his tongue trying to force its way into my mouth through my tightly shut lips. I wanted to shout and scream at him to stop, but if I opened my mouth he would have his tongue inside it in a heartbeat.

Fuck.

He was spinning me round and forcing me backwards toward the wall. This was not going well. My back hit into the wall and he moved his lips down to my neck, brushing my hair away with his creepy hands.

"Stop it Mike. I mean it."

"What are you going to do Bella? There isn't much you _can_ do." He trapped my arms and moved his leg in between my own with little force. I couldn't manage to bring my knee up with enough force to give him a good smack in the balls.

I became aware of Bobby Darin blaring down from above and I heard a door being thrown open.

"I said NO, Mike." Trying and failing once again to knee him in the groin. There was a loud thud on the floor and this time my brain didn't have to convince me it was him. I knew it was him. There was no mistaking it this time. He growled at Newton and he tensed, finally letting me go. I looked at him as soon as I was free. I had wanted so much to make the big entrance and have his jaw drop at the sight of me. As it was he managed to execute the big entrance and his jaw had certainly dropped, but it wasn't _quite_ as I had imagined it.

Sighing loudly I walked over to Jasper with as much dignity as I could muster. I refused to run; I refused to look as if I had been scared. Which I had been. Absolutely fucking terrified in fact. Jasper put his arms round me and hugged me tightly, dropping a light kiss on the top of my head before letting me go and pushing me behind him.

"What the fuck do you two assholes want?" Mike was eyeing them both with absolute hate.

"You to bleed." Replied Jasper, surprising the hell out of me.

"What's wrong Cullen? Didn't realise that she was a whore?"

Edward launched himself at Newton with a violent grace that left me impressed, terrified and wildly aroused. A guttural noise came crying out of his throat and he flew towards him, fists balled already. He landed on Mike, winding him and bringing his fist down with force on his already broken nose.

"Jasper, stop him." I whispered as I heard light steps running down the stairs. Alice appeared in seconds and she stopped, stunned by what she was seeing.

"What the hell?" She didn't wait for an answer before she ran back the way she had come.

"Jasper please stop him." I was tugging on his arm as Edward and Mike continued to punch the shit out of each other. The smacking noises their fists were making on impact was turning my stomach. I could only imagine the amount of blood spraying down onto the floor but I could smell it in the air. Newton had managed to escape Edward's grip and they were circling each other like lions over the carcass of a wildebeest.

"I don't want to." Jasper replied, standing still.

"For me, Jasper, please stop him." I knew why Jasper didn't want to, Edward had made it his fight, but I was terrified that Edward was going to be seriously hurt. His shoulders slumped a little and he moved forward. I wasn't sure if he was just moving closer to hold Newton down but before that decision could be revealed to me I heard more footsteps on the stairs.

Emmett rushed past me in just a pair of track pants, grabbing hold of Edward and pinning him down. Newton took advantage and landed a vicious blow to Edward's stomach making him cough and hiss. Emmett immediately let Edward go and grabbed Newton by the neck shaking him roughly, barely controlling his own urge to smack the shit out of the little bastard. Emmett looked incandescent with rage but he was holding it together barely. Alice grabbed my hand and we stood watching as Jasper helped Edward to his feet, his face covered in blood.

That's when I realised I was crying silent tears.

**EPOV**

Emmett pinned me and that little bitch had punched me straight in the stomach. The wind was knocked entirely out of me and I crumpled down onto the floor hissing and coughing when Emmett let me go and grabbed Newton, giving him a rough shake and looking like he was itching to give the little fucker a few more hits for me. I had thought it was going to be Jasper to pull me away but he had been contented to watch as I repeatedly punched into Newton's face and body, unable to control the rage that was cart wheeling around my body.

I had been aware of Bella asking him to stop me, to pull me away, but he hadn't moved. My knuckles ached and throbbed as Jasper helped pull me up off the ground. I hadn't taken my eyes off Newton and we were glaring at each other with a silent agreement that this wasn't finished. If it took me the rest of my life he was going to pay for putting his hands on Bella.

Emmett dragged him up the stairs as Jasper and Alice followed. Then I finally looked at Bella.

My heart ached as I locked onto her crying eyes. Her face was wet with the silent drops of pain and I had to hold her. In a second I was beside her, wrapping her in my arms as she fell into my embrace. She was breathing heavily and her chest was heaving with silent sobs. I ran my hand through her hair, dropping kisses onto the top of her head, my own pain forgotten.

This was my fault. If only I hadn't fallen asleep. If I had managed to stay awake like most people do during the day this never would have happened. I would have greeted her when she arrived looking beautiful, told her she was the most gorgeous thing I had ever seen and we would have spent the night by each other's side. I would not have let her out of my sight.

Her body shook in my arms as I whispered soothing words into her ear, making her shiver.

"You look beautiful." Not having had the chance to tell her this before I took it now. Her body trembled against mine as my knuckles throbbed. "Come with me." I dropped my embrace and took her hand in mine.

Bella followed me silently, her soft hand in mine as she trusted me to take care of her. Adrenaline was still flowing through my body, slowly dissipating with every beat of my heart. Which was beating faster just because I was near her. It felt like it took forever to get her up into the safety of my room, never ending corridors and stairs led us to the top floor of the house which was mostly my own private area. I only shared the floor with Emmett which lent us privacy from our parents.

The door clicked softly behind us and we stood looking at each other, both of us calming down the longer our eyes stayed on each other.

"Are you alright?" I asked when I was finally able to talk. Her eyes were wide but no longer filled with tears.

"Yes. Thank you." She smiled widely at me and my chest tightened with relief and happiness.

I took a step toward her and pulled her back into my arms. It felt wrong when she wasn't in them. If I hadn't woken up when I did, if I hadn't found her then fuck knows what he would have done to her.

"I can't believe he tried to do that." She whispered at me. "I knew he was a dick, but I never thought he would ever have taken it that far."

"It's my fault." I couldn't shift the guilt.

"Don't be ridiculous." She pulled back and cupped my face with her gentle hands. "Don't even think like that." But I couldn't help it. My hand stroked her face and I winced, suddenly remembering how much my hand was fucking throbbing.

I'd never kicked someone's ass like that before. I didn't know how much it would hurt even if you weren't the one getting pummelled. I'm not sure Fight Club would be something I would take part in if it was going to hurt this much every time. She released my face and took my hand in hers, turning and inspecting it, occasionally prodding it making me wince even more.

"Jesus, look at the state of your hand." She mumbled more to herself than to me, looking around the room until her eyes found the bathroom door. I was suddenly conscious of the fact that my room was a fucking mess. It looked like a bomb had gone off in my laundry basket. It was worse than her room right now. "Come on." She tugged me towards the bathroom and I wondered what she was doing.

"What are you doing?"

"Sorting out your hands." She replied like it was obvious and I was slow. She gestured for me to sit down on the closed lid of the toilet and she started to root through the medicine cabinet for what she needed. When she turned her back to me it struck me that her back was bare.

Her back was bare and it was the sexiest thing I had ever seen. Her dark hair tumbled down in silky curls that swayed slightly when she moved about. The ties holding her top in place swung temptingly down from the small of her back, my fingers were itching to pull at them, releasing the rest of her torso from its midnight blue prison.

Midnight blue.

My favourite colour.

It made her skin glow.

It made me want to kiss every part of her bare back, to run my fingers along the smooth skin, to feel her shiver under my touch. Shit. I just wanted all of her, never mind her back. When she turned back to me, her hands full of shit I didn't know I had, I was sure she could tell from the guilty look in my eyes exactly what I had been thinking. Her cheeks flushed that inviting pink colour and I was immediately reminded of last night.

It was going to be a struggle to control myself around this one.

**BPOV**

His hands were really messed up and for some reason it was turning me on. I had to distract myself from them before I threw myself at him and straddled him without warning. I looked around his room, trying to form a plan of action. His room was a mess, it was tidier than my own but it was a mess certainly. My eyes spotted a full bottle of Jack and I knew that I would be cracking that open as soon as possible. Finally I found the bathroom door and tugged him towards it. He asked what I was doing but I would have thought it was obvious.

I sat him down onto the closed lid of the toilet and turned my back on him, my hands exploring the medicine cabinet that hung above the sink. I was watching him through the closed mirror door on one side of it, his eyes roaming across my bare back. Shit. I'd forgotten how exposed it was. He would be able to tell I wasn't wearing a bra as well. Suddenly this top didn't seem like a good idea. His tongue roamed across his lips and his eyes darkened. Maybe the top was a _great_ idea, I smirked to myself.

Everything that went before was forgotten as I imagined his large hands roaming freely across my exposed skin, his lips closely following. I almost groaned out loud. Finally I found some things I could clean up his hands and face with and turned round. I could feel the blush creeping across my face when my eyes locked onto his, sure that the images racing through my head were easily readable on my face.

"I'm going to start on your face." I told him, shaking something orange onto some cotton wool, unsure exactly what it was but knowing it would both clean his cuts and sting like mad.

"My face?" He frowned a little.

"Yeah, there's blood on your face, I think there are cuts."

"It's probably not my blood." He told me, looking a little sheepish. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

"That's ok." It really was, sure it had scared me, but it had done other things to me that made me wonder what kind of person I really am. I dropped to my knees gently and shuffled forward, pushing his legs apart to get to his face. My face was getting redder but I soldiered on, trying to ignore the throbbing emanating from my underwear which was only getting worse being between his legs.

He backed up, a little shocked as I pushed forward but I took his face in my hands and he relaxed, a slow grin spreading across his face. I brushed a warm cloth across his jaw, wiping the drops of blood from there first, before softly wiping it across his cheek bones. I had to stretch up to clean the smear from above his eyebrow, pushing my stomach into his groin from the movement and letting a tiny gasp escape as I realised that I wasn't the only one being affected by being in this enclosed space. He quirked an eyebrow at me making me grin and roll my eyes.

"Down boy." I mumbled as he chuckled at me. He didn't chuckle long as I wiped the orange soaked cotton wool across the gash on his eyebrow, a hiss escaped his lips and I winced in sympathetic apology. I stretched paper stitches across the cut and pressed a kiss onto his lips. His hands immediately stroked across the small of my back, gently pushing me closer to him, leaving me in no doubt that he wanted me as much as I wanted him.

"Bella." He whispered into my mouth as his tongue flicked across my bottom lip before he took it into his mouth and bit down gently.

"Whoa there horsey." I whispered back before pulling away and taking his hands from my back. I knelt back and started to clean up his grazed knuckles, eliciting a few more low hisses of pain from his perfect mouth.

Finally I finished cleaning them although they remained raw and pink. I brought them to my lips and gently kissed each knuckle, locking my eyes on his as I did so. He had a look of wonder, like he was surprised I was doing it. To be truthful so was I. I had never been so forward in my life, but when he was in pain it felt like my stomach had vacated my body and I was compelled to alleviate it.

By whatever means necessary.

Suddenly I felt self conscious so I stood and walked out of the room, grabbing the bottle of Jack on my way past and throwing myself down onto his bed. Wow. His bed was super soft. He was still in the bathroom so I buried my nose down onto his sheets and inhaled deeply. His scent hit the back of my throat and I could practically taste him. It was beautiful, a base of something sweet layered with masculinity and for some reason the smell of a car garage, all oil and petrol. The perfect combination of which made my groin burn with a need to be conquered.

I moaned into the sheet as he walked through clocking me and quirking an eyebrow, his crooked smile appearing seconds after.

"Enjoying yourself?" My face felt aflame. I don't think I've ever not had burning cheeks around him. I really should get that resolved if I want to be around him for any length of time.

And I most definitely did.

"Maybe." I mumbled into the sheets, unwilling to look back up at him. I felt his weight on the bed beside me and the heat from his hand hovered over my back. I willed him to touch me, silently cheered on his hand to drop down onto my skin. His body stretched across mine and I felt the bottle of Jack being pulled out of my hand and his warmth retreated with his body.

Dammit.

"Sit up Bella." He sighed the words out, obviously tired and in pain. Doing what I was told I sat up and crossed my legs under me, finally looking up at his face.

"Where did your parents go?" I asked in a desperate ploy to hear his voice again. His large hand twisted open the bottle, taking a large swig he winced as the alcohol hit his throat before offering it to me.

"They went to New York I think."

"You think?" I took the bottle from him and wrapped my lips around the opening, savouring the fact that his own had been there seconds before. Like when you are a kid and your lips touching something that had been in someone else's mouth was practically kissing.

"I tend not to ask details." He shrugged at me and winced from the movement before taking the bottle back.

"They trust you and Emmett enough to leave you alone?" The answer was obvious, here they were all alone, no parental supervision.

"They trust that Emmett will throw a party....and trust that I will sort out the mess." He informed me with amusement. "Your father trusts you, doesn't he?"

"Well, yeah, but I'm a very mature individual." I laughed at him, reclaiming the Jack and taking another swig. Warmth was spreading through my limbs from the alcohol and I was beginning to feel more comfortable.

Even though I was on Edward Cullen's bed.

I'd rather be in it.

Edward laughed and looked at me shocked.

Shit.

I'd said that out loud.

"You'd rather be in what?" His uninjured eyebrow quirked up at me and that fabulous grin appeared on his wonderful mouth.

"In someone's trust?" I tried to save my dignity but I had a feeling I left that at the door. He snickered at me for a moment before dropping onto his back and staring at the ceiling with his hands under his head.

My fingers were twitching with the urge to sink into his thick bronze hair.

Screw it.

With another swig of Jack I found the courage to do it.

I watched as my fingers sank deeply into his hair, revelling in the softness. A small moan escaped his lips and he turned his head towards me, opening his eyes and staring down at me.

**EPOV**

I felt like fucking shit.

I felt like fucking Bella Swan.

Stop it.

I'd had to fight the urge to just take her in the bathroom as she had pushed between my legs to take care of me. Her touch had been light and caring. Unlike the way any other woman had touched me outwith my parents and that never caused my cock to harden.

Thank fuck.

I'm swearing too much. I blame the Jack.

She had looked supremely adorable when I walked back into the bedroom after finally calming down my cock enough to not be humiliated beyond belief. Her face had been buried deep in my sheets and she was inhaling them. It made me want to laugh, but I reined it in.

I had felt her tense under me as I reached across to take the bottle from her hand. I knew she wanted me to stroke my hand down her soft inviting back, but I wanted to tease her like she had me in the bathroom. Even though she hadn't meant it.

My ribs were aching.

The prick must have got in a few body shots without me noticing.

I dropped down onto my back and stared at the ceiling, not quite sure what I was going to do. That was taken out of my hands when I felt Bella run her fingers through my hair. I looked down at her and she looked heartbreakingly beautiful. Her makeup was long gone, dissolved by the tears and her rubbing hands, her hair a mass of shiny mussed up curls. She was devastating.

"You are just too good." I croaked out at her, my hand moving across her jaw.

"Pot. Kettle. Black." She murmured cryptically.

I shifted down until my face was parallel with hers, staring into her bottomless coffee eyes. She did that biting her bottom lip thing again and I couldn't resist her anymore. My mouth crashed down on hers and she responded with just as much vigour. Our tongues battling each other as my hand stroked down her back, causing her body to shiver in encouragement. Her fingers massaged my scalp as they roamed freely through my hair, tugging at it occasionally and sending messages directly down to my crotch.

I turned her onto her stomach, straddling her hips and running my hands down her silky smooth back, landing open mouthed kisses where ever I could, my cock pressing onto her ass making her wiggle it back and forth.

Bella was fucking amazing.

She tasted like strawberries and sex.

My fingers untied her top, throwing it open and exposing the small of her back; running my thumbs firmly over it I pushed them up to her neck, massaging the tension of the night out of her. She was moaning under me and my body was responding. I pulled my body back, crouching above Bella's legs as she turned under me, her torso still covered by her top and my fingers twitching to rip it away from her.

I didn't have a chance; her own hands moved the fabric away from her body, slowly trailing it down her arms, never taking her eyes away from my own. Soon she was naked from the waist up and on her knees in front of me, pulling me down to mine as our lips crashed together.

I want her so much.

I was desperate to free my throbbing cock from the constraints of my pants but I was too focussed on her hands back in my hair, her tits pressed against me with only the thin fabric of my t-shirt preventing them from rubbing against my bare chest. I pulled my body away from her and gripped the hem of it, only breaking away from our kiss to tear it over my head before pulling her back against me.

My mouth dove down to her hard pink nipples, grazing them with my teeth gently making her breathing hitch. Her tits felt firm and soft under my massaging hands as her nipples strained upwards searching for my mouth. She was rocking her hips back and forth under me to get some friction on her hot centre and I pushed my hips roughly down onto her.

**BPOV**

Holy shit.

He feels amazing.

Gasp.

His tongue stroked along my collar bones and my head fell back in pleasure.

Groan.

This is way better than a fucking dream.

I could feel him through his trousers and I wanted them off.

Now.

But his mouth moved down to my nipple as his hands massaged me, his teeth nipped at me and my groin throbbed with the need for attention. My hands grabbed his ass and pushed him down, relishing the sudden pressure and friction as he moved his body into me, still kissing and nipping me wherever he could.

His torso was beyond words. Starting at broad shoulders, tapering down past his firm abs until ending in that delicious V, pointing down to his groin. Dark hair marked the happy trail from his belly button down into his jeans, ending where I wanted to end up at some point.

His fingers stroked down my sides, making my body shake and my back arch as pleasure shot through me.

Jesus.

He just made me have mini orgasm using his fingers and tongue nowhere near my crotch.

He glanced into my eyes and smirked when he realised what had happened.

"Yes, you are a god. Carry on." I laughed, pushing my hands down his torso and unbuckling his belt in one smooth action.

Fucking hell. How did I do that?

"Smooth." He murmured at me between the kisses he was trailing down my neck. His teeth bit down and I gasped out, bucking my hips up to meet him.

My fingers fumbled with his button, losing all my smooth points, and I unzipped his jeans. Bringing my feet up I hooked my toes in and pushed them down his legs, trying in vain to catch his underwear in the same movement.

Dammit.

They still clung to his firm ass as his lips travelled further south until finally his fingers started to hook into the waist of my jeans. His eyes found mine, looking for permission to keep going. Nodding frantically I sank my fingers deep into his hair and tugged, rewarding me with a moan and fingers unbuttoning, unzipping and pulling down.

"Jesus." His voice penetrated the fog of lust in my head making me realise I wasn't wearing underwear of any kind.

Because VPL just won't do, according to Alice.

Don't think about Alice right now.

Edward.

"Bella." Shit. His voice turned me on.

His fingers softly stroked the inside of my thighs as I trembled beneath his touch. His lips started to kiss up my thighs, arching over to kiss down the other. Completely avoiding the place I wanted him most.

Teasing bastard.

"Edward." I moaned in frustration, bucking my hips at his mouth.

"Patience beautiful."

**EPOV**

She wasn't wearing underwear. If I hadn't been rock hard anyway at that point it would have happened right then. I guessed Alice had something to do with it.

Don't think about Alice right now.

Her thighs were trembling under my kiss, her hips bucking up at me impatiently. I couldn't help but chuckle up at her.

"Patience beautiful."

I was so close I could smell her arousal, making my cock twitch with anticipation. I let my tongue flick across her entrance, picking up her taste and making her groan.

I could listen to the sound of her groans for the rest of my life.

My mouth pressed down over her clit, my tongue flicking and teasing her as she writhed under me, pressing herself up to my mouth. My flat tongue licked firmly up her slit as I slid a finger into her wet, tight and ready core. Sucking on her perfect bundle of nerves my fingers continued to work inside her, curling towards her belly button until her back arched as her breathing hitched.

"Oh, Edward."

This was way better than a fucking dream.

I could feel her clenching my fingers inside her as my mouth continued to suck on her clit, pulling them slowly out I thrust them back in as her walls started to pulse and clench around them.

Her face was beautiful as she came and cried my name.

A contended smile played on her mouth as she bit down on her lip again. Damn. So sexy. I brushed hair off her face and she pulled my mouth down to hers, licking her tongue across my lips.

I would have been content to hold her in my arms for the rest of the night, but she pushed me down onto my back and kissed down my torso, reaching my pleasure trail of hair and making my stomach muscles clench under her lips.

Slowly her finger hooked into the waist of my boxers and she pulled them down, freeing my twitching cock, already moist at the tip.

Fucking.

Hell.

She licked her lips and wrapped them around the tip, using her tongue to tease the nerves there. My head fell back into the pillow and my eyes flicked shut as her mouth moved further down my shaft. She started to hum against my cock and I almost shot my load. My balls were cupped by her hands as she started to move up and down my cock, flicking her tongue over the head before plunging me back into her hot moist mouth again and again.

I wanted to impress her, to have her rave about my stamina, but her tongue moved so expertly against me, her hand massaging my balls and the head of my cock hitting off the back of her throat that I couldn't hold out any longer.

"Bella, move, I'm gonna..." I warned, but she didn't.

So sexy.

I shot my hot viscose liquid into her mouth and she swallowed it down without a wince.

Shit.

"I love you."

**A/N: Howdy you lovely people...enjoy it...review it....make me happy people. **


	19. Puppet Master

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, SM does....I own a serious case of the motherfucking hiccups right now. **

**Puppet Master**

**BPOV**

He looked so beautiful whilst he slept. I propped myself up on my arm to watch his face. His skin was so pale it was almost translucent. I could see his eyes moving under his closed eyelids making his eyelashes flutter as they sat against his cheeks. I couldn't believe this god had put his mouth over my throbbing groin only twenty minutes ago. My lips had been wrapped around his impressive cock and I had made him shoot into my mouth not long after. The he had said he loved me.

Life is good.

My mind couldn't process the magnitude of his breathless statement. I'd heard stories of men declaring this at the moment of ejaculation when it isn't true. We barely knew each other so the mythical L word wasn't something I thought either of us were feeling. He hadn't reacted or watched me for my own reaction when the words tumbled out of his mouth so I chose to ignore it.

_I love you only counts when your rock hard penis hasn't just been in my mouth Edward Cullen._

He had slipped a pair of pyjama bottoms on and tossed me a shirt before bundling me up into his strong arms, pulling me so tight into his body like he was afraid I was going to leave if he let me go. Little did he know I was going nowhere.

Ever.

I was tempted to wake him up. I was aching to have him inside me, I wanted his body to move against mine. It would probably hurt but I wouldn't care. For all intents and purposes I was a virgin, the few minutes Mike Newton had been inside me didn't count, I was pretty sure he hadn't even done it properly.

Mike Newton. He was going to pay. I hope Edward broke his jaw. Maybe Emmett and Jasper continued to kick the shit out of him when they took him outside. For someone so goddam gentle and sweet Jasper sure shocked the hell out of me tonight. He was so reluctant to stop Edward, so honest about his desire to _not_ stop him. Newton had taken a low blow when Emmett had Edward pinned back, the evidence of which was the violent looking bruise spreading along Edward's abdomen.

I had tried to be outraged and pissed off about him not being around when I arrived. But the way in which he came to my sudden rescue so animalistic and furious made it impossible. He had made it very clear that he was sorry for not being there and I couldn't hold it against him. Particularly after he had taken more than a couple of hits himself.

Other bruises were starting to show across his torso, made only more vivid against his pale skin. My fingers trailed gently across them, tracing the outlines of the almost black marks. His stomach tensed under my touch, my eyes flicked to his face and a lazy grin was appearing across his mouth but his eyes remained shut. He could be faking sleep; I wouldn't put it past him.

"Are you awake?" My voice was soft, reluctant to wake him if he was genuinely asleep. Something escaped his throat but there was nothing else.

This was the perfect opportunity to check out his music.

I hadn't taken in his room earlier, I'd noticed the mess, you'd have to be blind not to notice the mess. Underwear was thrown across the floor and I wished mine was strewn along with it. Is that weird? Books and unfinished course work littered any and all surfaces, there was a scroll of music paper with what looked like a hastily written arrangement but I couldn't tell. I'm musically retarded.

The walls were the same soft cream that adorned the rest of the house, lending a calm comfort to the room. The rugs were the same blue as my top was with matching drapes swinging across the masses of glass along the majority of one wall.

Thank god they had been shut when we were getting freaky earlier.

The walls were mostly bare except for the framed Dali prints. I didn't take him for a surrealist. Interesting. This was better than checking out his fridge.

I tip toed over to the CD racks to have a decent nosey at them. I'd really have to get a look at his ITunes to know what he listened to the most, but I guessed the CD's at the top of the rack were newest. I was surprised how close his collection was to my own. Maximo Park? Excellent. The British band was one of my favourites. Kings of Leon? Any music lover had Kings of Leon in their collection. Ray LaMontagne? Sexy.

Impressive.

I hadn't even registered what CDs he had in the fridge downstairs. Checking he was still asleep I hauled on my jeans with as little noise as possible, even though I had to jump up and down to manage the epic feat.

Shit.

I'm surprised that didn't wake him, it sounded like a herd of elephants pounding on the floor.

I slipped through the door and padded down the stairs. Music was still playing but the background noise of teenagers getting drunk was gone. I didn't know what time it was but it didn't feel late. Plastic cups littered around the walls, thrown down to the floor when they had served their purpose. The place was a mess. It was worse than my room and that was saying something.

No one was to be found except the bartenders standing bored behind the bar, one of them smiled at me and I wandered over.

"Hey, what's _your _name then?" He smiled at me, his eyes appraising my outfit.

"Bella. Where is everyone?" My eyes continued to scan the room.

"I'm Moss." He took my hand in his and shook it lightly. "Did you find your dignity then?" He raised an eyebrow at Edward's shirt, pulling it tightly shut I threw him a sneering look before he answered my question. "There was a bit of a commotion so everybody headed home. The guy who lives here is through there." He pointed through to the kitchen and I smiled in thanks as I walked away from him.

Emmett, Alice, Jasper and Rosalie were sitting in the massive wooden chairs that stood around the large dining table. They stopped talking when I walked in and Alice threw herself at me, hugging me tightly.

"Bella! Are you ok?"

"Yup, fine." I laughed as I prised her steel grip from around my waist.

The others were looking at me with obvious concern except Rosalie who was raising an eyebrow and smirking at me as she noticed Edward's shirt on me.

"What happened to the party?" Moving across to the table I took one of the seats beside Jasper. Alice sat herself down next to me and took my hand in hers.

"Kicking a guys crumpled ass tends to be a bit of a party killer." Emmett informed me from across the table.

"I'm so sorry Emmett." I was sorry. I was so ashamed that I had managed to get myself into that kind of situation. Yet again I had to be saved. When would there be a day when I didn't need to be saved by someone? I couldn't tell the future, but I was pretty sure it was a long way off.

"Don't apologise, it wasn't your fault." He shook his head and looked at me like I was stupid.

"Nice shirt by the way." Jasper quirked an eyebrow at me with a grin.

"I was cold." I said quickly, my face burning. "What happened after you took him up the stairs?" I countered, trying desperately to change the subject.

"Jasper took care of it."

"What does that mean?" Frowning I looked from one face to the other. "You didn't do anything stupid did you?" Scenarios galloped through my head, images flashed behind my eyes. Jasper's fist pounding repeatedly down onto Newton's lifeless face. Jasper digging a hole out past the river at the bottom of the garden. Jasper rolling a body into a shallow grave.

I'm an exaggerating fool.

"Don't, Bella, I can see what you are thinking, it wasn't like that." Jasper laughed at the expression on my face. "I merely punched him a few times because I've wanted to for years."

"Right. Emmett?"

"Hmmm?" The expression on his face was one of studied innocence. I didn't trust it.

"What did you do?"

"I'm insulted by the accusation, Bella. I thought you knew me better than that."

"Emmett?!"

"Nothing. I did nothing. I yanked him out of the house and threw him down onto the ground but that's it. Jeez Bella, learn suspicion from your dad did you?" Relief. That's what I felt when he told me that. "Besides, he was too beat up after Edward and Jasper. I'll wait until he is mostly healed and then I'll make him pay."

Groaning I rested my head onto the table. I couldn't let anyone get into trouble for this. I knew that Mike would never let it go, and when his parents saw the state the boys left him in they would be insistent on the truth. I could just picture Charlie coming up to the Cullen house to arrest the Cullen children then swinging round to Jasper's to arrest him.

"Please. Just please let it drop."

"He tried to rape you Bella." Alice struggled to say the word rape, her voice trembled over it but finally she finished her statement. "You have to tell Charlie."

"I don't believe he would have pushed it that far." That was a lie. "I can't tell Charlie now anyway, the three of you would be arrested for assault and battery."

"It was self defence." Rosalie claimed surely.

"If I had done it then yes, it would be self defence. You three doing it? Not so much."

"Shit."

**EPOV**

Bella Swan was fucking amazing. There was no doubt in my mind now that she was the most interesting, beautiful, intelligent and sexy woman I had ever had the privilege to meet. I had fallen asleep pretty fucking quickly after I came into her mouth, exhausted by not only the sex acts we had performed but by having a full on brawl with a guy who was bigger than me. I could only imagine it would be like having a fist fight with Emmett, only an Emmett weak from the flu or something.

I was barely aware of her fingers tracing along my torso, my stomach muscles tensing under her soft and caring touch. If she had continued I would have been awake and ready to fuck her hard. I knew that I would have to be gentle the first time my cock actually entered that soft and inviting Holy Grail, she had only been with Newton and I'm guessing the steroids he obviously consumed daily had resulted in shrunken man parts. She was to all intents and purposes still a virgin in my eyes and I was going to be the perfect gentleman.

I was going to make her cry my name.

Right.

Stop.

Can't keep thinking like this. I was getting uncomfortable in my pyjama bottoms as they tightened as I started to swell. I had been aware of her body pulling slowly away from mine and her light footsteps crossing the floor. Peeking out from under my eyelashes I spotted her looking at my CDs. There was a stupid grin on her face as she picked up my Maximo Park CD. Does she know who they are?

Interesting.

My mind wandered back to the moment Bella's lips wrapped around my head. She had brought me straight to the brink and I had moaned her name, warning her to move as I was about to shoot but she had kept on sucking. Then I had said I loved her.

Fuck.

I had said I loved her.

It had just poured out of me like my...never mind.

She hadn't said anything about it. Most girls would be asking me to repeat it. She maybe thought it was a swept up in the moment statement. Was it true? I was besotted with her, sure. Completely in lust with her certainly. Love her?

It was far too soon for that. Even though my heart does ache when she isn't around, my chest tightens when I think she is unhappy, I want to spirit her away from anything that might hurt her, I want to make her laugh, I want to kiss the small freckle underneath her eye every moment I am awake, I want her to tell me about every facet of herself.

Is that love?

How would I know?

My head hurts.

My eyelids drooped and eventually I drifted off to sleep, ignoring the dull aching when I breathed and the throbbing from my knuckles.

I couldn't have been asleep for longer than twenty minutes when my eyes snapped open and I realised that she was gone. Fucking gone. Where was she? She had been at my CDs the last time I was aware of her movements and then, once again, I had fallen asleep.

I really am a wanker.

I tumbled down the stairs to the living room where the party had been only a couple of hours ago. Now there all there was just a couple of bored bartenders obviously hacked off that they no longer had the chance to hook up with drunk high school seniors. Everyone was sitting at the kitchen table when I slapped barefoot into the room.

Alice looked up at me like I was some sort of all conquering hero but winced when she saw the extent of the bruises tattooing my torso. Emmett frowned deeply, looking like he was planning some sort of revenge and Jasper looked at me completely devoid of any dominant emotion. He looked like he was trying to calm everyone else with his tranquillity.

He always was kind of odd.

But that's the way we like him.

I sound like I'm in love with Jasper, never mind Bella.

"Are you in pain?" Asked Alice, her tinkling pixie voice full of concern for me.

"I'll live." I shot her a quick smile.

"Dude, you look like shit." Ah Emmett, always forgetting the tact.

"Thanks." I wanted Bella. Where was she? I didn't want to look even more whipped in front of the people I counted as friends and family, plus Rosalie, so I didn't ask. "What happened to the party?"

"Everyone went home after watching Jasper punch Newton's face for five minutes." Jasper looked up at me sheepishly and shrugged, like he was expecting me to react negatively.

"Seriously? Bet that was satisfying." His eyes flicked towards Alice before he answered, scared that the honest answer would transform him into some sort of monster. I watched the internal debate in his eyes before he realised that it would take a shit load more than that to make Alice regard him as anything other than the love of her life.

"Fuck yeah it was."

"Where is Bella?" I'd held out as long as I could and asked the question that had refused to stop doing circuits between the neurons in my brain. Jasper and Emmett smirked and rolled their eyes at me before Emmett handed over a twenty to Jasper.

"Told you, less than five minutes." Jasper declared triumphantly, pocketing the money as Alice smacked his arm with disgust.

"You boys are really mature, a real prime example to our underclassmen." I snorted.

"Downstairs Edward." Finally Rosalie answered my question. After shooting her a grateful look I descended the stairs into the room once again.

The first thing to hit me was the smell. It was some sort of carpet cleaner and it made my throat want to close. I really had to fight against turning round and running outside to where the air lives. Bella was on her hands and knees scrubbing at the floor. It was like the beginning of a really bad porn movie. I was the evil homeowner and she was my scrubbing wench.

Groan.

Down boy. Stop.

Think of naked Emmett after a long run.

That did it.

"Bella, what are you doing?" She jumped a little when I spoke, I didn't think I was stealthy but she was so involved in scrubbing the shit out the carpet that she hadn't heard me approach.

"Shit Edward. You scared me." She let out a nervous laugh.

"Sorry." What a tool I am. Of course me approaching her silently from behind in this room would make her jump. Jesus. I wonder about my mental capacity sometimes.

"That's ok." She flashed me a more genuine smile this time and my stomach flipped at the sight of it. I think I really am turning into a woman. Next thing you know I'll be sobbing in her arms and eating raw cookie dough and all the other clichéd kind of girlie things you see in bad teen movies.

"What are you doing?" Stepping forward I stroked the back of my hand across her cheek, unwilling to break the contact.

"There's blood." She grimaced, gesturing down to the floor with her eyes.

Blood.

On a white carpet.

Esme was going to fucking kill me.

"Blood? Shit." My hands dug deep into my hair as I thought out the options.

"Yeah, I'm surprised I haven't fainted yet. I don't have a high tolerance for blood."

"Could have fooled me when you were wiping it all off my face and knuckles upstairs." Her face flushed in a millisecond as I reminded her of what she had done to me in my bathroom, and then her eyes darkened infinitesimally as her mind wandered to what we had done in the bedroom.

"That was different." She informed me with a roll of her eyes, like I should really know better.

"It certainly was." Her hair was still in curls, but they were tied at the nape of her neck, my shirt only buttoned halfway up her body. Even the rubber gloves she wore were making me hot under the collar.

"Christ, look at your body." She breathed.

"Christ, look at yours." I replied.

"What?" A frown appeared on her prefect forehead and this time I reached out and smoothed it away with my finger tips. "I was talking about your bruises!"

"I was talking about your curves." Her face was suddenly aflame and she wouldn't look me in the eye. I was going to have to sort out this shyness shit.

My fingers had been inside her.

We were _way _past shy.

I took a step forward and pulled her against my body, letting her feel just how attracted I was to her. My fingers tipped her face up to mine. I stared into her eyes until I was dizzy before I slowly dropped my lips down to hers for a chaste kiss, stroking my fingers across the small of her back. When I let her lips go she gasped, making me smile against her neck before nipping it playfully.

"Come on, away from the blood." I hooked my arm under her knees, picking her up as she squealed with laughter. She felt as light as a feather in my arms, I didn't have to expend any effort as I walked us up the stairs, dropping a kiss onto her face and neck for every step we took.

She was slapping at my chest, forgetting the bruises and pain that it would cause me but I didn't care because she was in my arms, laughing and returning my kiss every time I went near her lips. I sat her down on the counter in the kitchen and her legs wrapped around me, locking at my ass and pulling my crotch harder into hers as I continued to kiss at her neck and collar bones.

"Mmmhmm." Emmett cleared his throat from the table making Bella hide her face in my chest. "I'm all for the new improved Edward, but I don't want to witness the foreplay." Turning my head I was greeted by four pairs of wide eyes swimming with laughter. Taking a deep breath I kissed Bella once more on the corner of her mouth before turning round, thankful she had stopped softly rubbing her groin against mine.

"We need to do something about the blood on the carpet downstairs before Carlisle and Esme come home." Emmett's eyes widened with fear.

The only thing in the world I have seen that scares Emmett is the look Esme has managed to perfect that conveys disappointment, fury and intense despair at her sons. I wasn't the biggest fan of it either, to be honest, but I was rarely on the receiving end of it. Emmett, as the more gregarious of us both, was usually the one to do something to deserve it.

"What happened to it?"

"Blood."

"Fucking Newton."

"To be fair, this is all on me. I was the one to start the fight down there." I reasoned.

"I think _he_ was the one to start this fight Edward." Jasper growled, losing his carefully practiced calm.

"Do you think he will actually go to the police?" Asked Alice, worried about how this would come back to Jasper.

"He wouldn't risk it, too many questions about how it started." Bella replied from behind my back, her chin resting lightly on my shoulder, chest pressed into my back. Occasionally she would turn her head and kiss the spot on my neck where it met my shoulder sending shivers down my body as she breathed my scent in deeply.

I wanted her so much; just thinking about her in my shirt was sending the blood down to my groin.

They started talking quietly between themselves at the table as I luxuriated in Bella's kisses and close proximity. Turning back to face her I took her arms and wrapped them around my neck before letting her hair loose and burying my face deeply into it. Her breathing was heavy, matching my own.

"Where does Charlie think you are tonight?" I whispered into her ear.

"Staying at Alice's because he is down at the reservation." My lips started kissing along her jaw of their own volition. I was beginning to lose control of every part of me. It was a coup started by my subconscious with my limbs and lips following like inane puppets. Not that I could blame them. She felt and tasted so good that I was slowly hooking the rest of my body up to the strings.

Bella Swan is the puppet master of me.

"He isn't expecting you home then?" Her tongue pulled my earlobe into her mouth, nipping it gently before answering.

"Nope. He won't be home until Sunday anyway." I found my fingers sliding down to her ass, skimming across the curves softly as I pulled her closer to me. "I guess Alice and I had better go."

"What?!" I pulled back to stare at her face. She was leaving? Fucking stay. Every part of me wanted her to stay. It took me a second to figure out her teasing smile and raised eyebrows.

"Kidding. Just kidding." She laughed and pulled me back to her.

"Tease." Her warm breath was back on my neck and my shoulders relaxed.

"You looked like I had just killed your puppy." Sniggering filled my ear and I felt her body shake with laughter.

"It's not funny Bella."

"It really is. Jesus, like I would be leaving right now."

"You might have wanted to."

"I don't think my body would let me. My brain would be trying to make it leave and my body would be staging a coup." She giggled with the thought. Could she read my chuffing mind? I'd love to be able to read hers right about now. Knowing if she wanted to take it slow would maybe calm the raging hard on that I've developed being this close to her.

"You're a mystery to me Bella Swan." Smiling softly she leaned back into my neck to whisper in my ear.

"You're the only one who can solve me."

_I love you. _

**A/N: Read, Review...pimp it to all your friends....reviews and hits are like crack to me right now. **

**I haven't had time to reply to all reviews...but needless to say you all absolutely fricking rock harder than me at a Maximo Park concert. **

**Next update will be asap...but am working 5 days next week, at college 3 days, have 2 assessments and a neglected social life calling me.**

**Any questions or comments are welcome in a PM...am always happy to talk to people who are actually reading this...my friends are getting bored of me going, "read this...did you like this bit? What did you think of that? Who's your favourite? Is that a bit stupid? What bit made you laugh?" **

**I watch them like hawks as they read....questioning every breath...this whole thing is turning me into a crazy lady....and I like it. **

**Till next time peeps.**


	20. WWED?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twlight, SM does....I own kings of leon, maximo park, bloc party and t in the park tickets.**

**WWED?**

**BPOV**

Being in Edward's embrace is something I'll never let myself forget. Even if I develop Alzheimer's when I'm old and grey I will never forget the feeling of absolute security being wrapped in his arms afforded me. If time cruelly strips me of everything else I will never have to work hard to remember his kisses. How they would soft one minute then hard and urgent the next. His body had been chiselled out of marble and he fit me like I was the one he was made for.

I've never been a romantic, I've always been a realist. My mother had claimed our ration of romantic a long time ago and I was happy to give it to her, happy to be more like Charlie when it came down to this. She had stolen his romantic when she left with me bundled onto her hip.

Now, however, I was reclaiming my quotient.

Suddenly it was all _why do birds suddenly appear_ and _hold me closer tiny dancer_. I've never read Mills and Boons but I was beginning to think I was living it. All I could think about was my heaving bosom and his engorged throbbing member. More than that, however, all else I could think about was how he made me feel when his fingers brushed my skin and his lips brushed my own.

Sigh.

We stayed in the kitchen for a while, my legs wrapped around his taught waist as we chatted to the others about nothing important. Emmett sent the bar staff home after he paid them an extortionate amount of money to pick up all the rubbish. Edward glared at the one called Moss the entire time.

"He keeps fucking smiling at you." Being his only comment on the matter, refusing to be drawn any further.

Emmett and Rosalie disappeared from our company after a while, Rosalie leaning over to whisper into Emmett's ear making him drag her from the room pretty sharpish leaving Jasper grimacing in their wake. Edward told Alice and Jasper that they could take one of the guest rooms on the first floor and they too disappeared hand in hand, only with less of a hurry to have crazy mad monkey sex than Emmett.

"Looks like you are stranded." Edward mumbled into my neck between kisses.

"I could walk."

"Stop fucking teasing me."

"Make me." I bit my bottom lip and looked up at his face through my eyelashes somewhat shocked that I had managed to make myself sound even vaguely seductive. He growled down onto the top of my head with frustration.

"You are going to be the death of me Bella." The way he whispered my name so reverentially made me smile. It was the same way I said his name in my head, that tone of respect and awe mixed with a tinge of lust and hope. I pulled him close to me, just to hold him, to hear his heart, to feel it beat against his chest and mine. "I have to lock up the house." His hands pushed me away slightly. "Climb on." Turning round he clamped my arms around his neck and pushed back for me to secure myself on his back.

"I _can_ walk you know."

"When I'm here you don't have to." He informed me completely serious.

"You can't carry me everywhere."

"I'd carry you anywhere."

Holy shit.

When did this man develop? Two days ago all I had to do was look at him and he would launch a scathing attack on anything he could think of. Now he was suddenly Sir Walter Raleigh offering his cloak to Queen Elizabeth. He had already taken part in a dual over me, all that was left was to write me a sonnet and conquer an undiscovered world for me and the transformation would be complete.

_I know of an undiscovered world he could conquer._

I was becoming seriously depraved.

He walked us through to the control panel sitting by the front door and punched in a complicated code. Shutters rolled down over the windows and I heard bolts slam into place.

"I was only joking about going home, you don't have to actually hold me prisoner."

"It's not all about you Bella." He laughed at me. "Esme and Carlisle insist on it, they check whenever they come home that we use it. It's all about the security, they have some seriously precious shit in this house."

"Think a lot of yourself don't you? Calling yourself precious." Making him laugh again I marvelled at the sound. Never a sexier sound had I heard.

"It's more about the artwork."

"What if there is a fire? You have to punch in a million digit number to get out?" Genuinely interested in the answer I pushed in closer to his back to make sure I could hear him.

"There is an escape route."

"An escape route? Jesus. What have I got myself mixed up in? Some sort of mob operation?"

"Don't joke about stuff like that Bella." His voice was low and I picked up on the warning. I had just pushed a very sensitive button and I made a note to find out the source.

"Sorry." I whispered into his ear before kissing the back of his neck softly, his hair tickling my nose. A little noise escaped his throat and I made another note to make sure he did that again before the sun rose.

**EPOV**

What is she doing?

I had carried her up to my room before throwing her down with a loud thwump onto the bed, her breasts bouncing from the impact. My eyes had been glued to that motion like I had just been released from prison. She made my fingers twitch to touch them and my cock twitch to be between them.

Would she go for that?

Probably not.

And now her hips were wiggling slightly as she peeled off her jeans. Slowly, so fucking slowly, the denim slid down her thighs revealing soft white skin that was just begging to be kissed until she kicked them off with her bare feet. Stretching her body out made her groan and arch her back.

I was on the bed in seconds after that, kneeling above her prone body.

"You could maybe try looking slightly less desperate Cullen."

"Don't call me Cullen." Growling down at her my fingers found their way to the buttons of my shirt.

"Cullen." A quirked eyebrow let me know she was teasing even though her voice was firm and provocative. Fingernails stroked across my scalp making a noise escape my mouth. She made that happen almost every time she touched me, even a light brush across my hand made sounds gurgle up from somewhere deep inside.

"Fucking stop it." Her hands pulled my head down to hers, kisses pressed onto my jaw, up to my earlobe before her teeth nipped lightly.

"Fucking make me." Shivers ran down my spine when she breathed the words into my ear before her lips travelled back down my neck.

What the...?

Where did this Bella come from? Am I dreaming? Shy as a church mouse downstairs and now she was a seductress.

"I want you so much." Escaped from my brain through my lips as I brought my mouth down onto her collar bone. Taking her wrists into my hands I pinned them above her head, making her squirm underneath me. My lips roamed freely down her body, in the valley between her breasts before traversing the peaks, making her gasp as my tongue flicked across her already hard nipples.

"Cullen, keep going."

"Grrrr." Letting her wrists go my fingers joined my tongue in the domination of her nipples, pulling and twisting until her hips bucked up to make contact with my groin. Her fingers gripped my hair, pulling my face up to hers. Coffee coloured eyes sparkled at me before our lips crashed together and my tongue slid into her hot, damp mouth as my hands continued cupping the soft tits she kept arching up to my chest.

My hands slid down to her waist, skimming down to her ass to pull her in tight against me as I shifted my weight to roll us over.

The sight of her on top of me, my shirt wide open on her beautiful torso, her glossy dark hair framing her heart shaped face and her hips grinding down onto me as she bit her bottom lip was glorious.

There was no blood left in my body anywhere else, it had rushed straight to my cock to make it throb almost painfully. I wanted to be inside her desperately but let her take the lead. She was rubbing her naked crotch along the length of my cock, the wetness from her own arousal seeping into the material of my track pants.

Her eyes were closed as she threw her head back to let loose a loud moan.

"Look at me Bella." Her teeth were biting at her bottom lip again, her hips rocking on top of my cock. The friction was delicious and bringing me closer to the sweet nothingness of orgasm. Her head stayed back as her back started to arch.

"Cullen." She elongated the vowel, making my name sound like something intensely sexual.

"Fucking look at me Bella." My fingers slipped into her slit finding her clit as her juices covered them, her head snapped forward and her eyes found mine.

"Edward...I'm going to..." She couldn't finish the sentence as her hips picked up speed. Sitting up I took a nipple into my mouth as my fingers worked furiously on her clit, sliding down her wet and hot centre and sliding inside her. The walls of her pussy pulsed as my fingers entered her; Bella's hands gripped my hair, yanking my head to the side as her lips crashed down onto mine.

"Come for me." I whispered into her ear, my hands still at work on her groin. Her body rocked with the orgasm that ricocheted through her body as my own seed spilled forth. My fingers stayed inside her as her orgasm continued, my thumb flicking over her clit, making it last as long as I could for her, making her cry my name until we collapsed back onto the bed her body pressed down on top of mine.

**BPOV**

The things he could do to my body were driving me insane. His arms were wrapped around me pulling me tight into his firm chest as we lay naked and basking in the glow of yet another orgasm. I had been right earlier when I predicted I would be like a dog in heat. Just being this close to him was making me eager to have yet another round of the Everything But Penetration Sexual Olympics. I had resolved to find out who he really was but any time his fingers brushed their way through my hair my brain dissolved to mush.

His breathing was deep but serene making my head rise and fall as it rested upon the defined planes of his beautiful chest. My eye was in alignment with his nipple and it was taking all of my resolve to not take it into my mouth. It was meant to be the guy who was all out of control with lust but I couldn't help myself.

I wanted him...but I wanted his body more.

"Stop staring at my nipple you insatiable woman." His hoarse sexy voice broke through my peaceful worship of his chest.

"It's not my fault." Sheepishly I looked up at his sleepy grin. His eyes were shut on his still peaceful face.

"Whose fault is it then?" Deciding to take a risk I replied with the first thing that came into my head.

"Your parents. They made you this beautiful." His body immediately tensed under me. Chancing a look up at his face I saw his forehead creasing into a deep frown.

"I'd prefer you calling me sexy if it's all the same, being called beautiful is a tad emasculating." That is not what I expected to come out of his mouth. I had given him the opportunity to set me straight regarding mention of his parent but apart from the tension in his body and face there was nothing else.

"But you are beautiful. Like a sunset across snow topped mountains beautiful." I told him giggling as my fingertips worked out the creases on his forehead to return it to its previously smooth glory.

"Stop it." He growled playfully down at me, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Like a glass topped lake reflecting the Aurora Borealis beautiful."

"Most people just call them the northern lights."

"I'm not most people Edward Cullen."

"Don't I just know _that_ Bella Swan." His fingers brushed along my cheekbone with such tenderness that it prevented me from breathing, let alone coming back at him with a cheeky retort. "Breathe Bella, just breathe." He sniggered.

"Don't you worry about me, I can breathe on my own just fine." My eyelids were growing heavy with the sleep that was hovering just out of sight threatening to consume me until morning.

"I _can't_ breathe without you." Edward mumbled barely audible as his arms crushed me further into his body before relaxing slightly when sleep finally waved over us.

* * *

Sunlight streamed through the wall of glass in Edward's room waking me from my deep sleep. For the first time in almost three months I wasn't drenched in sweat and trembling when I awoke. Initially I was disappointed until my mind flashed back to the various ways in which Edward had made my body tremble during the night. Maybe I could live without a dream giving me an orgasm when the real thing was more than happy to accommodate my needs.

The real thing who currently was no longer in the bed beside me. I could still feel the heat from his body lingering in the bed so he hadn't been gone long. Wrapping the bed sheet around me I stumbled as I moved from the bed managing to knock into his desk with my hip. My hip which was already tender from being bashed a couple of times last night at the bar. The impact dislodged a pile of papers sending them spiralling to the floor.

"Shit."

Crouching down I scrambled to pick everything up. Not that Edward would notice any more mess on the floor. Gathering it all together I slapped them back down onto the desk as my eye caught something that I could not resist looking at. Peeking out from under another pile of paper, unfinished English homework by the looks of it, was his passport.

I don't know about anyone else but when I see a passport I have to look at the picture. It is the same with a drivers licence; I am just compelled to check out the photo. Edward looked like he was about twelve in his photograph. The mess of bronze hair was fundamentally unchanged except for the length, the same crooked grin played on his lips, and his eyes were the same. There was not a look of innocence in his twelve year old eyes; there was a look of a kid who had seen too much. They were the same eyes that bored into my own only five hours ago.

What makes a twelve year old lose the look of excitement about the future?

A multitude of stamps appeared on the pages bound within. He was well travelled, jealousy rose in my stomach as I looked down at the countries he had visited in the past. Edinburgh, Paris, Rome, Madrid, Sydney, Berlin and Reykjavik stamps taunted me. I had never been out of the US, let alone to any of the countries he had been to. What could he see in someone like me? We were worlds apart.

Throwing it back down onto the desk I pulled the sheet up to bury my nose in it, to smell him again. His distinct scent assaulted my olfactory sense reminding me that we had shared a bed the previous night, that he must see something in me to have done that. Except that he wasn't with me when I woke up. Maybe he wanted me to leave without having to succumb to the embarrassment of telling me to go.

_Don't be such an irrational bitch._

Before I could pull some clothes on the bedroom door burst open and Emmett stormed in.

"Emmett?" He stopped, smirking at me with a quirked eyebrow.

"It smells like sex in here."

"Well, whilst that was a charming statement and I appreciate you coming in here to tell me that," I intoned. "Please could you tell me why?"

"I needed to borrow Edward's credit card."

"He isn't here."

"Where is he?"

"I. Don't. Know." Shrugging at him I tried to pull the sheet up to cover more of my skin as he pushed a button on the illuminated panel next to the door.

"Edward where are you?" Emmett spoke into the speaker loudly and his voice echoed around the house.

"Kitchen." Came the reply and he rushed out of the room as quickly as he had entered it.

**EPOV**

She had looked just too fucking peaceful to wake up so I had pulled on a pair of boxers and snuck out of the room after softly stroking her cheek with the backs of my fingers. I'd never had anyone stay overnight before. Hell I'd never let anyone into my room before excluding friends but they had been few and far between. I didn't know the etiquette. I was way out of my depth.

Falling asleep with her in my arms was in the top two moments of my life. I hadn't dreamt at all either, probably too spent after the variety of ways we had made each other come without me actually sinking deep into her cock first.

I should make her breakfast and take it up to her. I was starving so she was bound to be too. Only I don't know how to cook.

Shit.

Esme always makes the meals, I've only ever chopped some vegetables and even then I managed to ruin them. How difficult could breakfast be though?

What kind of pan do I make eggs in?

How do I make everything to make sure it's all warm when it's served?

How do you cook bacon?

What would Esme do?

I can't ruin cereal, I could make her that.

How very romantic that is. I could just imagine presenting her with a bowl of soggy cereal on a tray adorned with wild flowers from the garden and a cup of coffee. The look of unadulterated disappointment I imagined crossing her face before she hid it with a smile and indulged me by eating it and hiding her grimace when she did so made me shake my head to make it go away.

How does she take her coffee?

I am definitely way out of my depth here.

Finally I cracked some eggs into a jug and whisked them furiously, unsure what to do when I was done. I was sure I'd seen Esme cook at some point, I'm bound to have picked something up by osmosis. Grabbing a pan I poured in the eggs and waited for something to happen.

"Edward where are you?" Emmett's voice boomed out from the intercom system that was integrated into the control panels throughout the house.

"Kitchen." I depressed the button and replied, frowning as I realised that he had called down from my room. Fucker better not have woken Bella.

Quirking an eyebrow at me as I stalked out of the room to find my credit card Emmett stayed in the kitchen sniggering at my attempts at a romantic gesture. He stood and watched as the eggs burned and welded themselves to the bottom of the pan when I was searching my car for the card.

When I eventually got back to the kitchen Bella was wafting the smoke towards a window she had opened before taking the pan and submerging it into a sink full of soapy water.

"I have to go home." She told me as her hands continued to fan the air.

"What? The smoke will go away."

"I'm not going home because of the smoke." She laughed. Why was she going home then? I wanted her to stay. We still had another night of no parental supervision and I had fully intended on making the most of it. I crossed the room in three strides and pulled her to me.

"Why are you leaving?" My lips brushed over her ear as I whispered into her ear making her body shiver. Her lips kissed my jaw before she answered, making me shiver in return.

"I have to shower, pick up some things and then I'll be back. Plus, I really need a change of clothes." She laughed and pulled back slightly to gesture at her outfit, she was back in her jeans and my shirt.

"I like your outfit."

"You like taking my outfit off me. Besides I'm hungry and need breakfast. I fancy some eggs." She sniggered at me as Alice bounced into the room with Jasper attached to her hand.

"What did the eggs do to you?" Jasper asked as he coughed when the smoke still heavy in the air caught the back of his throat.

"They asked me a stupid fucking question."

"Bella are you ready to go then?" Alice was pulling at Bella's shirt, my shirt, trying to pull her away from me.

Reluctantly Bella pulled her arms from around me. Kissing me hesitantly on the cheek she walked away with Alice's hand in her own. "I'll be back later."

"You'd better be." I mumbled to her back unable to tear my eyes away until the door closed behind them.

**BPOV**

Alice refused to stop staring at me with that look of tell me everything. This wasn't the same as telling her about the dreams. The dreams didn't have the same intimacy attached. I wasn't as invested in the dreams and I could laugh along with her as we dissected every move and gasp. Not once had I asked her about what went on with Jasper, it would make me sick knowing the details. As far as I was concerned they were asexual. They were like a Barbie and Ken doll with no genitalia, just smooth bumps. Kissing was as far as they went in my mind and that's the way it would stay.

We weren't living an episode of Sex and the City.

"Bella, I want details."

"You aren't going to get any." I replied as she cornered at a dangerous speed. Suddenly I remembered why I always drove, I wanted to reach graduation without being horribly disfigured or killed in a canary yellow Porsche.

"Fine. Just answer me this."

"What?"

"Are you really alright after everything that happened last night with Newton?"

My mind flashed back to him holding me against the wall. He hadn't bruised me with his grip, in fact when he forced his lips down onto mine he hadn't done it with a huge amount of force. In the moment it had felt rougher and more intimidating than it actually was in the cold light of day.

"Honestly, the whole thing scared the hell out of me. But I'm alright."

"Good." She took a hand off the wheel and gripped one of mine tightly giving me a smile of sympathy.

"I'm not a tragic little victim Alice. Besides, no one can get near me when I have my own army of protectors."

"Edward has usurped Jasper as the General." Her laugh filled the tiny car and I couldn't help the smirk that appeared on my face. "Not that you are complaining."

"No complaints coming from me about Edward right now."

Alice parked the car beside my truck when we arrived at my house. She stayed in the kitchen to make us breakfast as I had a quick shower and changed into a looser pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Edward's shirt lay on my bed and I looked at it for a while. I really should wash it before I gave it back to him. I guess I should just leave it here. Checking I was still alone I took the shirt and smelled it before rubbing it across my pillow.

Jesus I'm tragic.

"Bella! Food!" Alice is tiny but she sure can bellow with the best of them, her voice travelled up the stairs making me jump guiltily before I skipped down to get something to fill the empty stomach that had been growling at me for the past hour.

Thankfully Alice knows how to cook so I didn't walk down into a kitchen full of toxic smoke.

"Do you know why Edward is adopted?" I asked Alice as we sat down at the table.

"Jasper is sketchy on the details; you know how protective he is of other people's personal stuff. But I know his parents were killed and he was in care for a while before the Cullen's took him in."

"In care?" Everyone has heard horror stories of children in care, the neglect and cruelty that some children live through is unimaginable. Maybe he had a nice experience. _How can being in care ever be a nice experience? _The sarcastic majority of my brain responded with venom. "What happened to his parents?"

"He never talks about it. I think the only other people who know are Dr and Mrs Cullen."

For some reason I had to know. I had to know everything about him. Where did he grow up? Did he ever go on holiday with his parents? What was he like when he was a kid? Does he remember the house he grew up in? I wanted to know everything including the mundane things like his favourite colour, his favourite band, his top five moments of life.

"Don't push him Bells." Alice warned me after catching the look on my face. "From what I've picked up he has been through some horrible things and if it were me I wouldn't want the memories dredged back up."

"I won't." But I didn't meet her gaze, I looked down at my plate as I forked food into my mouth, masticating thoughtfully. Both of us knowing I would.

**A/N: so apparently it doesn't matter how much other stuff I have going on...this makes itself my priority.**

**I realise I should have done some lyric disclaimers for the previous chapters...so the first song was My Delirium by Ladyhawke and the other one was obviously Dream Lover by Bobby Darin. **

**Previous A/N applies....am busy busy busy and heading for an epic fail re coursework because I can't leave Edward and Bella alone....update will be asap as usual. **

**PM me with questions/comments/general nonsense.**

**Hopefully you have enjoyed this chapter...next chapter tinged with lemon....just a little heads up. **

**Also, I don't have a Beta, is this important? I've read some stories that have Beta's and my 5 yr old niece could spot the grammatical and spelling errors a mile away...and she's bottom of her class...just thought I'd ask. **


	21. Take the Pieces

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight...SM does...I own a Wonder Woman bag.**

**Take the Pieces and Build Them Skywards**

**EPOV**

It took me twenty minutes to scrub the welded egg from the bottom of that goddam pan. My morning plans had gone up in smoke along with the eggs. I missed her already. She had only been gone an hour and I wanted her back. Jasper smugly made the rest of us breakfast like it was the simplest thing in the world.

"I still don't understand how you managed to ruin eggs."

"It's not like they come with instructions on the packet."

"A one armed senile 104 year old can make eggs without fucking it up Edward." I didn't have a biting retort for that one. He was right. I was deficient.

"Could you teach me to cook?"

"Have you turned into a woman overnight?"

"That's quite the sexist comment to make Jasper. If your better half was here she would be kicking your ass in indignation."

"Seriously though, check for a vagina."

"I hate you."

"Fine, I won't teach you how to cook. You can impress Bella with your impressive take out ordering skills."

Bastard.

He spent the next hour showing me how to cook a nice meal for Bella. None of it stuck in my head. I've never had to cook. Esme takes care of that stuff, I never have to think about it. When I was a child my mother would always make my meals. She would twirl her auburn hair up into a bun and sing to me as she chopped and sliced and grilled and boiled. She would ask me about my day and what I did at school. For an hour everyday she would sit with me on our living room floor and watch me do my homework, answering any questions I might have and rewarding me with a kiss dropped onto the top of my head when I was finished.

I rarely thought about her. I missed her too much to think about her often.

"You cook and I'll pay you."

"You can't buy everything in life Edward." Jasper glanced up at me.

"I'm aware of that. I just want to impress her."

"You could cook Bella cheese on toast and she would be impressed with you Edward. She isn't hung up on the fancy crap like Rosalie or even Alice sometimes. Hell, you could have presented her with the burnt eggs and she would have smiled and eaten them without a wince."

My suspicions were being confirmed. Bella Swan was unlike any other woman I had met in my entire life.

* * *

Bella was gone for hours and I needed something to do. Jasper had fallen asleep on one of the sofas we had moved back into place. Thank god Emmett had paid the guys last night to clean up, even if one of them did constantly smile at Bella. My temper was being seriously frayed by people eyeing her up. She attracted attention without even knowing it. Sitting with her legs wrapped around my waist wearing my shirt made her the sexiest woman in the room, and that guy had noticed. Smiling at her all the time. I'm sure he even fucking winked. Of course she hadn't noticed.

Tidying my room would make a good impression I'm sure. There was no way she didn't notice the mess last night, regardless of how much of her attention I distracted in various ways. Tonight was going to be about getting to know her now that I knew her body pretty well. It wasn't memorised like I wanted it to be but there was time for that.

This was backwards. Most people get to know about the person before they get to know about the body. When she made the comment about my parents last night I couldn't get mad because she didn't know the subject was out of bounds. Her body had tensed when my own did. She had noticed so maybe I wouldn't have to warn her off.

_Would it be so wrong if you told her about them?_

Shit.

She was going to ask.

And I was going to tell her.

Who was I kidding? Of course I was going to tell her. Everything that comes out of my mouth when she is around is done so without a thought to the contrary. I wouldn't be annoyed or closed off or angry like I was with anyone else. Even Carlisle can't get me to talk about my life before he found me. Before he saved me.

Finally my room was tidy, the laundry had been shoved into the basket, the papers on my desk neatened and ignored, the music scrolls rolled and stored in the closet. I even changed the sheets. Esme would be impressed when she got back and there was no way I was going to tell her the reasoning behind it.

"Looks like a den of premeditated seduction in here." Emmett commented from the door. "But at least it doesn't smell like sex anymore." His nostrils flared in amusement.

"What do you want Emmett?" Rolling my eyes I sighed at him, awaiting the reason he was leaning on my door frame.

"I'm taking Rosalie out tonight to Seattle. You'll have the house to yourself."

"Seattle?"

"Yeah, seemed like a good idea when I suggested it. I've sorted the carpet, someone will be along to clean it this afternoon."

"Will it get the blood out?"

"Yeah, it's an industrial cleaning company. The police phone them when they need to clean up a particularly grisly crime scene. We could have killed Newton last night and got away with it."

"Too many witnesses." I joked.

"True." He threw my credit card down onto the bed before he launched himself at it, completely creasing the smooth surface. Maybe Jasper was right about me turning into a woman.

"Emmett!" I launched handful of pencils at him as he bounced gleefully up and down on the comforter.

"Shit Eddie, lighten up. It's not like you won't be messing it up yourself when Bella gets back. I heard the noises coming from here last night." He was laughing hard as he bounced. I hate him.

"You didn't hear shit. The walls are too thick."

"I knew it!" He bellowed triumphantly. "She gave it up that easily?" A book flew towards his head this time. "Stop throwing books at me! It's becoming a habit."

"Stop talking about Bella like that."

"You've always told me in the past. It's basically the one thing we've had in common."

"Tell me about Rosalie then."

"No." His voice was full of warning.

"Exactly." I pronounced in victory.

"Was it like you had dreamed?" He put on a high voice as he clasped his hands together beside his face, fluttering his eyelashes and sighing. Wanker.

"Shut. Up." I grabbed something from the desk and launched it directly at his head.

"That shit's just unnecessary." He huffed before clambering off the bed and flouncing from the room.

* * *

It was four o'clock before I heard the rumble of her ridiculous truck outside the house. Cursing I went to the door, I had texted her to say I would pick her up. The trail leading up to the house was a nightmare to find if you weren't used to it. Plus I didn't trust her truck to not fall to bits on the rough trail either. Why would her father let her drive that thing?

Thankfully I didn't have to worry about the carpet anymore. With a simple phone call along with my credit card Emmett had fixed it. The guy had left more than an hour ago after cleaning the entire carpet. I was glad Bella wasn't here whilst it was being done. The guy was seriously odd. He kept looking at me like he knew me, like he was trying to place where from and it made me uneasy.

Peering out the window I watched her smooth back her hair in the rear view mirror. She pulled a little tub out of her pocket and wiped something across her mouth making her lips a subtle shiny red. Closing her eyes I saw her take a deep breath, open the door and jump out. Of course she stumbled a little. With every step she takes I hold my breath waiting for her inevitable stumble. Luckily I'd prevented more than a few accidents, I could only imagine how many more I would have to prevent in the future.

Waiting at the door for her I had never felt so nervous. I felt like my entire future was riding on this which was absurd. It was just Bella on the other side of the door. She hadn't even knocked yet and my heart was pounding. For the first time in my life I was beginning to feel like a teenager. My palms were sweaty, my body was twitching various parts in time to my heart beat. I was terrified that she would take one look at me and realise that this had been a horrendous mistake on her part.

I was a ball of messed up past and unclear future no matter how hard I tried to hide it.

She was going to ask about my parents and my time in care and no matter what kind of spin I put on it she would see that it has affected me irreparably. Moving cities and even countries wasn't the only reason I pushed people away and tried hard to not make attachments.

When that inevitable end comes it hurts more when you allow yourself to love.

She was making me love.

She was making me feel loved.

She was making me fucking crazy.

Knock knock.

**BPOV**

My knuckles grazed the door and he opened it immediately. Jeans hung low on his hips, barely clinging to his body held in place by his firm ass. The very ass that my fingers had dug into less than twelve hours ago. Why can't I stop thinking about his ass? He stood before me with his hand in his hair pulling at it nervously. My face softened and I just wanted to hold him tightly in my arms.

Last night I had called him beautiful. It was true, he was beautiful along with everything else he was. I barely knew him still, even though it felt like I had known him forever. He had said last night that he preferred sexy and that was true of him also. The reactions going on in my underwear testified to that very fact. There was more to him than just those facts.

He was sweet too. His attempt at making me breakfast this morning was the most adorable thing anyone has ever done for me. The look on his face when he saw me wafting the smoke through the window broke my heart. He looked devastated when he realised he wasn't able to surprise me.

He was strong and able to hold me upright whenever I stumbled beside him. He was protective and when he came to my rescue I couldn't imagine wanting it to be anyone else.

He moved slightly towards me. We were both in new territory here. I liked him, he liked me, last night we had gained intimate knowledge of what made the other scream. But now it felt like the party had never happened...until his lips brushed softly against mine in greeting.

"Hi." He mumbled at me removing his lips from mine but his head remained bent down to look into my eyes. Jesus. His eyes. Like no other colour of green I'd ever seen. Forks has a lot of green but it paled down to brown against his eyes. Fingertips toyed with the ends of my hair as his hot breath hit my face smelling of mint and coffee.

"Hi." I caught his bottom lip with my mouth and tugged on it slightly rewarding me with a low hiss of breath.

"I missed you." His voice was so low I barely heard the words but I looked up at him beaming from ear to ear.

His mouth pressed a kiss onto my cheek bone and he pulled me into the house leading me to the kitchen by the hand.

"I tried to make us dinner."

"You tried?" I quirked an eyebrow in amusement.

"I'm not as good as Jasper with the whole cooking thing."

"Jasper does indeed have many good points...though I'm sure there is something you can do that leaves him in the shade." His gaze whipped up from the where it had been trained on the counter. There was some sort of conversation going on in his head. Standing watching it I crossed my arms in amusement, leaning back against the wall.

Sprinting across the kitchen he crushed his lips down onto mine. My mouth opened to welcome his tongue as he pressed me hard into the wall behind. In seconds my hands were cavorting wildly in his soft bronze hair before running down his back to his ass to grip it and push him closer into me. His hands tickled up my sides until he reached the curves of my breasts. I could feel how hard he was against me and once again I lost all sense of decency, grinding against him shamelessly as I groaned into his mouth.

Edward pulled his body away from me in a swift hard movement.

What?

"Bella." His voice was hoarse as he spoke breathlessly. "I didn't want tonight to be about that."

"You started it." I resorted to playground logic to hide my humiliation.

"I was proving I was better than Jasper." He smirked.

"I don't have a reference point for Jasper's kissing. Though I'm sure if I asked nicely Alice would let me check." His eyes darkened further if that was even possible.

"That isn't even funny." His nostrils flared at me. Oh god his nose. Yet another piece of evidence to show how beautiful he was. Aqualine. If I kissed his nose would he still be mad at me?

"Neither is you rejecting me."

"My hands are still on your tits, it's hardly rejection." Shocked, I looked down and he was right. For some reason I had thought his hands had softly removed themselves as we conversed. "Your hand is also still on my zip." He snorted and I cracked up. Giggles convulsed through my body and I couldn't stop until tears were streaming down my face.

Edward waited until I had finished with that crooked grin on his lips. Whenever he smiled like that I wanted to kiss it right off his face.

_I have to stop thinking about kissing him._

* * *

"What's your favourite colour?"

"Green." I replied without hesitation as I looked into his eyes. For once I didn't blush as I thought about the reason behind it.

For three hours we had asked each other questions. Whatever came into our heads we asked without the fear of rebuttal. He had set his ITunes on random and in the silences when we were thinking about the answers that had just poured out of the others mouth we would let the music take us over.

Every so often he would begin to sing along to a song and it would put all the questions out of my head. There would be nothing except his voice in my head and his hand in my own as I stared up at the ceiling above his bed. The tone of it would feel like a caress across my skin. The deep tenor would vibrate from inside of me leaving me terrified to breathe in case I lost the sweet sensations.

"Brown." He replied to his own question. Blood flooded to my cheeks then as I wondered if his own reasons were the same as mine.

"Favourite Beatle?" I asked.

"Ringo."

"George." My hand strayed onto his stomach. "Favourite book."

"Pass."

"Pass? You can't pass!" Outraged I lifted myself onto my elbows and stared down at his face.

"I can too." One of his eyes opened to see the outrage he had heard in my voice.

"I make the rules and you can't." I pouted.

"I love a lot of books Bella but I haven't read them _all_ so I can't possibly have a favourite."

"Fine." Admitting defeat I fell back onto the bed.

_I would dig a thousand holes to lay next to you  
I would dig a thousand more if I needed to  
I look around the grave  
For an escape route of old routines  
There doesn't seem to be any other way__Crazy as it sounds you won't feel as low as you feel right now  
At least that's what I've been told by everyone  
I whisper empty sounds in your ear  
And hope that you won't let go  
Take the pieces and build them skywards_

I've started falling apart I'm not savouring life  
I've forgotten how good it could be to feel alive

Take the pieces and build them up to the sky

Edward sang along to this as I put my hand on his stomach again and stroked across it lightly. His voice would catch if I strayed too near the waist of his low slung jeans. Being on his bed listening to him sing is something I could do all day every day. Who needs an education when there is something as divine as this to do instead?

**EPOV**

Bella was silent for what felt like hours after I had finished singing. Her hand stroking across my stomach was making me disgustingly turned on. When I had pulled away from her in the kitchen the look on her face was priceless. It was her turn to look like her puppy had been killed. After explaining to her that I wanted to get to know her properly she looked seriously pissed off with me for a second before that beaming smile was back on her face when she realised that I wasn't just objectifying her.

It takes a lot of hard work to be the gentleman of the relationship. Part of me was counting on her pushing me away, on her being the stereotypical girl of the relationship, not that you could call it that yet. Nothing stereotypical about Bella though, so it was left up to me to be the guiding force behind the whole getting to know you thing.

I wasn't sure but I had my suspicions that she had been testing the limits all evening. Her hands had been wandering that's for sure. Her teeth biting down on her bottom lip frequently. He eyes sparkling at me beneath luscious lashes.

Seriously testing my resolve.

The silence continued as we lay on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. Electricity flowed through us, binding us together and making our senses heightened. I knew she would eventually get round to asking me the questions she desperately wanted to.

"What's your birthday?"

"June 20th."

"September 13th."

"What's your mothers name?"

"Esme." I replied quickly, knowing that wasn't what she meant.

"Your birth mother Edward." The words softly floated from her lips making me clench my jaw.

"Elizabeth."

"Your father?"

"Edward."

"I didn't think people named their children after themselves anymore." She said it idly, more to herself than to me but I felt the need to justify it.

"My family were rather traditional Bella. I'll do the same someday."

"You want children?"

"Someday. Not soon."

"How old were you when they died?"

"It was April 19th, two months before my seventh birthday."

"It must have been horrendous."

"That's _quite_ the understatement."

"I'm sorry." Her voice was small. Wrapping my arms around her body I pulled her to me. I needed to feel her heart beat to calm my own. Strawberries filled my nostrils as my face buried itself into her silky hair. Suddenly I felt so very tired but I knew her questions weren't finished. I would answer every one of them and then she would make me forget the pain just by being in my arms.

Dropping a kiss onto her head I relaxed my grip and stroked the contours of her face.

"Beautiful."

"I'd prefer sexy if you don't mind." She sniggered, mimicking my words from the previous night.

"That too." Steeling myself I resolved to nudge her questions forward. "You can ask me anything Bella, and if I can answer it I will." She knew I wasn't referring to a lack of knowledge preventing me from answering her questions, but the lack of strength.

"How long were you in care?"

"One year, one month and 6 days." I had counted every hour I was there, silently begging for a way out, a way back to my parents.

"Where they nice?"

"No." Seconds passed and more music played, I no longer had the compulsion to sing along and we lay in silence as she digested my monosyllabic answer. When she realised I was not going to elucidate she moved on.

"What was your father like?"

My father, I told her, had been a gentleman. He had loved my mother with a respect and passion that I knew I would not be able to achieve. He had brown hair and green eyes that were always behind metal framed glasses that would slide down to the tip of his nose before he would impatiently nudge them back up with his middle finger. He taught me to read before I started school by reading me bedtime stories whenever he was back from work early enough.

His parents had died when I was four, leaving him their riches that he had invested in building his own business and various other things that would make him a dividend. He had been an accountant. A trusting and naive man who believed in the good of all unless they proved otherwise. He always wore a brown pair of boots when he wasn't at work. They were worn and falling to pieces but he loved them. I have his hands.

I told her all of this as she hugged my torso tightly before asking me to tell her about my mother.

Elizabeth Mason resides in my memory as a woman always bathed in sunlight. Whenever I thought of her I would imagine looking up at her from the floor, building blocks with letters on the side between my legs. Her hair would be forming a halo around her head as the sunlight shone through the window in our kitchen. There would always be an aura of love and tenderness cloaking her. Whenever I called her name she would turn to me with a smile on her face, scooping me up in her arms to convey her love for me with hugs and kisses on my giggling face.

I ache inside when I think of her, I informed Bella, even though I have Esme now.

I miss her.

Bella's hand wiped away the wetness from my eyes before I was even aware it was there. Her lips pressed down onto mine with a new softness.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Telling me about your parents."

Day had turned to night during our talk. Darkness seeped through the open window, fluttering the drapes with every breeze of wind. Goosebumps were appearing on Bella's arms, every so often she would shiver in my arms.

"Bella?"

"Mmm?" Sleepiness was making her voice husky. I was sick of thinking about things that made me ache in a bad way. Bella made me ache in a good way. Her eyes were shut when I brought my face down to hers, shifting my body down the bed until we were parallel. She noted the movement with a sly smile but didn't move or open her eyes. Cautiously I edged my lips close to hers, we were a millimetre apart when I stopped my movements. Our breath mingled as our breathing increased. I could hear her heart beating.

"Are you asleep?" As I spoke my lips brushed against hers making her smile wider but still no eyes open.

"Mmmmm."

"Look at me Bella."

Nothing.

My tongue traced across her bottom lip.

Nothing.

My lips pushed onto her pillow soft mouth.

Nothing.

My hand stroked across her cheek, pushing hair back off her face and behind her ear.

This woman has the willpower of a...I don't know what.

"I want to touch you." I whispered into her ear. At that her body tensed and relaxed in the space of a second.

"I want your nipples in my mouth." Her smile grew wider.

"I want you to touch my cock." She has to make a move at some point.

"I want your hands in my hair as I lick your clit." She groaned. I smiled in silent victory. Slowly her hands moved up to my hair, gently scraping her nails across my scalp making me tingle. Subtly she shifted her weight and pushed me onto my back, her knees either side of my hips.

Her tongue flicked against the skin on my jaw, her lips pressing open mouthed kisses across my neck before she whispered into my ear.

"I want you inside me."

Oh.

My.

Fuck.

**BPOV**

His eyes had sparkled with lust when I pulled back from whispering in his ear. In a fluid motion he had flipped me onto my back and was hovering above me.

He's not the only one who can play the whispering game.

He needed this. I knew that. I needed this. I definitely knew that.

After telling me about his parents I needed to take his ache away. His voice had cracked when he spoke of his mom. Tears had pooled in his eyes and leaked out from under clenched eyelids. I couldn't even comprehend the pain he was bound to still feel.

Our mouths crashed together, his tongue running over my bottom lip before gently biting down making me moan. His entire body was pushed down onto mine, making me relish the feeling of the weight pushing onto my groin. Wriggling my hips slightly to get the seam of my jeans in alignment I threw my head back when I reached my goal. His hips immediately lifted up, I braced myself for them to crash down but they didn't.

"No way." His voice taunted me. "That's cheating."

"Who's the fucking tease now?" I growled at him.

My arms were thrown above my head so that he could whip my shirt off. It sailed backwards across the room to land silently on the floor. Lips and tongue worked down my neck, across my collar bones and further down to my bra. His hand palmed my breasts before his mouth blew hot air down onto my nipples, making them strain painfully towards his mouth like a flower towards sunlight. Teeth grazed across them through my still in place bra before his tongue roughly licked the fabric above them.

Jesus fuck.

That felt good.

Looking down at him I yanked on his hair, making him look up at me. His eyes were wild and dark as they locked onto mine making me grin broadly at him before winking. I almost laughed at the stunned look on his face before he ducked his head down and licked my belly button making me gasp and arch and groan and sigh with happiness and arousal.

His large hands settled on my hips, holding them in place so that I couldn't grind up against his hard and ready cock, his mouth and tongue continuing their intricate and arousing dance across my torso.

Frustrated by the lack of groin play I pulled my hands out of his hair and fumbled at my jeans to get them off. My hips were released as my wrists were gripped in his hands, his head travelled back up to my own as he threw my wrists above me.

"You're just begging to be tied down aren't you?" He teased, that sublime crooked grin firmly in place. "Not tonight beautiful, but keep your hands where I can see them." Joking he lifted himself off me and I moaned in protest.

"Where the fuck do you think you are going?" I demanded and he laughed, looking me in the eye as he stripped off his shirt revealing to me his devastatingly bruised torso. Keeping my eyes locked on his he undid the button on his jeans and they slid down to pool at his ankles.

Take the boxers off.

"I will."

Shit. That was out loud.

Soon he was naked and walking away from me, sitting up I watched in disbelief as he rifled through a drawer and pulled out a foil square.

Of course.

He threw it to me and walked back to the bed with a confident swagger. I couldn't tear my gaze away from him.

How does _that_ fit in..._there_?

He must have noticed my reservation because his lips came down to mine with a divine gentleness.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I want you. All of you."

His fingers unzipped my jeans and he walked to the end of the bed. Grasping the hem of both legs he ripped them off my legs in one movement like a magician yanking a tablecloth off a table full of glasses.

"Impressive."

"I get that a lot." He sniggered as his fingers hooked into the waistband of my underwear.

"I'm sure." I replied quirking an eyebrow.

My underwear was slowly pulled down my thighs, over my knees, past my ankles and thrown backwards into the blackness that had claimed my shirt. His hands slid back up my legs as his mouth kissed a trail up to my thighs before his tongue flicked itself across my clit without warning.

Fingers joined shortly after and he moaned when he realised just how much I wanted him.

"Fuck Bella, you are so wet for me." He ripped open the condom and rolled it on. He slid his cock over the sensitive bundle of nerves that were making me throb and I closed my eyes because my vision was becoming cloudy at the thought of him.

He kneeled between my legs and eyed me to make sure I was ready, with a quick nod at him my head dropped back and my fists clenched the sheets. Slowly his body pressed down onto mine and he pushed himself up to meet my face. I could feel him at my entrance, my body trembling and anticipating his every move.

He pushed into me inch by inch, his eyes never leaving my face checking me for a sign to stop. I felt myself stretch and adjust to his entrance, one hand holding his body weight above me and the other on my stomach to keep me still.

"Fucking heaven." He groaned into my ear and I grinned before I kissed his foul mouth. My legs wrapped around his waist to let my heels dig into his ass to push him in deeper. He was inside me completely and I'd never felt anything like it in my life. Doctors should prescribe this for everything.

Slowly he pulled out and pushed back into me, setting a rhythm of thrusts and soon my hips were slamming up onto his own, pleasure careening through my body. My hands were yanking and scratching indiscriminately at any part of him I could touch as his hips thrust into me, making me moan his name, warmth building in my stomach before it finally exploded in the most toe curling mind numbing body tensing orgasm I'd ever had. My walls clamped and pulsed around his thrusting cock, milking the seed out of him as he violently pushed deep inside me followed by shallow thrusts and finally a stillness as he collapsed on top of me, our foreheads against each other, our breathing heavy and contented, with the same dopey grins on our faces, and the music slowly filtering in through our addled brains.

_I may be scattered  
A little shattered  
What does it matter?  
No one has a fit like I do  
I'm the only one that's fits you_

**A/N: Howdy folks...read, review, recommend.**

**Songs are Biffy Clyro, Machines and Foo Fighters, Disenchanted Lullaby. **

**I haven't had much time so I haven't replied to a lot of reviews and for that I am hugely sorry. I read every one of them and I really really appreciate them...they make me happy. **

**Hopefully you all are enjoying this, I know I'm still enjoying writing this and that is partly because of the feedback I am receiving from all you lovely people. **

**Until next time folks :)**


	22. Confessions

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight...I own a "new" phone that I have to send back...pft.**

**Confessions**

**EPOV**

She owned me.

Everything I had would be willingly signed straight over to her if she would let me do that for the rest of my life. None of the other girls had felt so right, so tight, so mine. With every thrust I was chanting mine. She was mine and I was hers.

I was terrified I was hurting her but she was willing me on, encouraging me to go deeper, to go faster. I'd felt like I was having a heart attack my heart was pounding so erratically. I think I forgot to breathe at one point.

And now her head rests on my chest, a smile on her sleeping face, her hand on my stomach stroking across the bruises. She had seen me in my weakest moment and given me the strength to make her mine.

Once again she just looks too peaceful to wake up. Noises grumbled from my stomach in protest at the emptiness. Trying desperately to not disturb her I managed to roll straight off the bed. My head shot up past the mattress to make sure she hadn't heard the loud thump my body had made on the floor. Fucking hell. I hadn't realised I was that close to the edge.

Tiptoeing out the room I grabbed some clothes as I went, pulling them on in the hallway. Thank god Emmett isn't home yet. With my luck he would choose that moment to be coming out his room. I don't think being confronted by his naked brother is a favourite nocturnal activity of his.

The entire house was in darkness as I padded down the stairs and through to the kitchen not bothering to turn on any lights. I knew this house so well I would be able to walk through it blindfolded and never stumble. Even when we had been in other cities and different countries I yearned to be back in this house. If we could have transported the entire thing to Chicago and stayed there I would have been as close to happy as I am able to get.

_But you wouldn't have Bella. _

If I she had come with the house then I definitely would have felt the tightness of happiness in my chest. I had grown up in Chicago, it's where Carlisle and Esme found me. It was home to me. Now I was beginning to think that home would be where ever Bella was.

_Home is where the heart is. _

Jesus.

I'm turning into a platitude thinking moron.

Rifling through the freezer I found some food and threw it into the microwave. Why would Esme have ever bought Hot Pockets? Maybe Carlisle gets some junk food cravings after too long on his healthy diet. I stood by the window watching the dark clouds move across the dark blue sky, there was a line of gold and pink on the horizon that had me transfixed. I caught the sound of Emmett's return before the microwave beeped at me. The sound of his jeep was unmistakable against the backdrop of the calm whispered nature that usually stood as background noise.

It was only his footsteps I heard walk into the house which was a surprise, I had assumed Rosalie would be with him. Clicks echoed through to where I stood as he flicked lights on. He hadn't been to this house before the return of the family only a little over two weeks ago.

Two weeks.

It felt like we had been back for months. We had never been as settled in two weeks as we had been here. Normally we had flings, conquests and quick fucks. Never before had we had girlfriends.

If that was what Bella was?

We hadn't had that conversation, but I knew she was more than anything that had happened in my past. Part of me was itching to find out how I had been dreaming about her for the past few months. It was like she had been calling me home. Jasper's admission that she had been having similar dreams for a similar amount of time had been niggling away at me. Could she have been dreaming about me?

Emmett's footsteps reached the kitchen door and before he could flick on the light I mumbled a greeting.

"HolyJesusfuckingshit Edward!" I turned just in time to see him jump back a step in fright.

"Sorry." I chuckled.

"I almost had a heart attack you tool. Have you been here waiting for me long?"

"I haven't been lurking about for your arrival Em'." He sniffed the air following the smell of food to the microwave. "Don't. That's mine."

"Too late." He bit down with a smug smile on his face before it turned into a look of pain. "That's hotter than the sun!"

"Karma's a bitch."

"So are you."

Emmett sat with ice in his mouth throwing me a narrow eyed look like it was my fault he stole my food and burned his tongue on it. Maybe I'm a bad person but I was sniggering most of the time, especially when he tried to mumble something at me.

"Have a good time in Seattle?"

"Mmymmsss."

"Sorry, didn't catch that." Guffaw.

I was still at the window, looking out through the trees. Occasionally something would catch my eye and I was becoming more and more convinced that I could see someone moving through the trees. Frowning I strained to see further through the dark, thankful that Emmett had neglected to put the light on in here.

"Emmett, come here." He didn't ask why, he just walked to my side like it was something he was going to do anyway. "Can you see someone out there?" He placed his forehead on the glass and strained to look out, his gaze sweeping from side to side with a frown on his face.

"I can see _something_, but I don't think it's _someone_."

"Are you sure?"

"Fairly certain Edward. Are you ok?"

"Yeah." Shrugging the uncomfortable feeling off I stepped back from the window.

"All the sex is depriving your brain of much needed blood."

"That explains your continued problems at school then."

"Love really makes you witty."

"Love?" Raising an eyebrow I turned to look at him.

"Deny it all you want Edward, but what you are feeling right now is love. Pure, unadulterated, lusty love."

What does he know? The most meaningful relationship Emmett has ever had is with his hand. Suddenly now he is the expert because a hot blonde has let him into her pants?

Who am I fucking kidding?

"I know." Sighing I sank down onto a chair, running my fingers through my hair.

"Me too." He grinned at me conspiratorially.

Seeing Emmett settle into life in Forks gave me a vague feeling of envy mixed with happiness. He had always slotted right in where ever we ended up, but Forks was my town. Even having Jasper here I still felt awkward and my defences were up. Emmett had no one but he immediately made Jasper his friend and by association Alice, Rosalie and Bella. He never carries around the bullshit I do, he is so open and carefree that it leaves me in awe. The ease with which he made friends with Bella drove me a little crazy with jealousy. Watching them talk and laugh at lunch made me want to snap pieces of table off with my bare hands.

But she is mine now.

Sleeping naked in my bed.

I can still smell her on me.

Suddenly I heard a thud from outside. We were both at the window in seconds, our eyes scanning through the darkness. With a frown I stalked through to the living room and wrenched the door open. Nothing moved through the darkness. Emmett stepped from behind me, walked slowly down the steps and watched.

"I'm gonna put the cars in the garage." He told me, dangling his keys and mine from his hand. "You stay here."

What the fuck was that noise? I was getting paranoid. Maybe Carlisle and Esme were right to be so worried about security. Was it Newton fucking about and out for revenge? I'm taking no chances with Bella in the house. Her truck was still parked outside the house. Where are her keys? They were sitting on the table in the living room, with another glance around I jogged back in to get them.

If it was Newton and he saw Bella's car here it was going to get back to her father some way or another. That guy already didn't have the highest opinion of me and I didn't want him to have yet another reason to forbid Bella from seeing me.

"Get Bella's truck in the garage as well Em'." Throwing him the keys I leaned back against the door frame. Something had me on edge tonight and fucked if I knew what it is. My fingers were poised on the security key pad when Emmett strolled back in the house, ready to key in the code and secure us for the night.

"Shit Edward, the back of my neck is tingling. You've got me fucking paranoid now." His thick fist connected with my upper arm and I winced as pain then numbness flooded down it.

"Fucking _ow_!"

"Pussy."

**BPOV**

Shutters sliding shut woke me from my pretty damn peaceful sleep. The sound wasn't loud. It wasn't like the sound of a shop locking up for night. They were smooth in the runners but it was inevitable that the thunk when they hit the bottom was going to make a noise. Emmett must have arrived home. Unless there was a way to disable it from the outside too. I was scared to ask in case I became privy to more privileged information about escape routes and secret helicopters and the fricking Bat Cave in the basement.

The amount of security in this house was freaking me out. I had been looking out of a window earlier and I noticed the glass was almost two inches thick. Who has two inch thick glass? I could rationalise it as it's insulation against the cold. That Forks was renowned for being wet and cold and icy. That we should all take responsibility for our use of finite resources and the less heat that escapes a house the better in the long run for the world.

But damn, the Cullen's must be seriously paranoid.

Not that I'm not intrigued by the escape tunnel.

Edward was once again not in the bed when I woke up. I'm going to have to break that annoying habit. There was none of his warmth left either. Yanking on my jeans and t-shirt I resolved to go and find him once again only to find myself tripping over his discarded trainers. My foot kicked them across the room in annoyance before I limped out to the hallway. I could hear Emmett and Edward as I descended the stairs, their deep voices echoing through the silent house.

Emmett called Edward a pussy as my foot settled on the last step. They were in the kitchen.

"Keep it down. Bella's sleeping."

"Busy night?"

"It's not all about sex Emmett." Good boy Edward. I would have died on the spot if he hadn't stopped that conversation. "We spent most of the night talking. You know, that other thing you do with your mouth." I heard Edwards little chuckle and it made me smirk.

"Talking? Tell her about your dreams?" There was a silence and I sat down on the stairs.

Dreams?

"No."

"Why not?"

"It's not exactly an easy thing to slip into conversation."

"Do you not think that she should maybe know that you were dreaming about her three months before you met her?"

What the deuce?

When Alice had told me of her suspicions that Edward was dreaming about me I had thought she meant since we had met. Never once did I think that he could have been having the same dreams. How could we both have been dreaming about each other before we met? It was enough of a brain melter when I thought it was just me.

"Jasper said that she dreams too, in the same kind of way, but I think maybe Alice put him up to it. Remember the day of the accident? I think she overheard your little joke in the car and sent Jasper to stir things up."

Jasper?

Alice?

Sneaky little bitches the both of them.

"Besides, I can't even tell her that I made her a snow heart outside her window on Friday."

"A snow heart? Jesus. You aren't the same as Chicago, Edward."

He did the snow heart? Thank god. He is the only person in the world who I wanted to have done that.

"Guess that's what Forks does to a person."

"I don't think Forks has done this to you. I think you're finally letting someone in. You're changing. And it's for the better."

I couldn't sit and listen to any more. It was a complete invasion of a private conversation, even if it did answer some questions and create whole new ones. I snuck back to the top of the stairs and thumped my way down them. Making sure my feet landed squarely on each step. Edward met me at the bottom, a frown tempered with a smile on his perfect face.

"How can one person make so much noise?" Was his opening statement.

"Hell, Bells, _I_ make less noise coming down those stairs." Emmett greeted me from the kitchen as Edward kissed me softly.

"Sorry to interrupt you two, but the shutters woke me up. Rose not back with you?"

"Unlike you, who have an incredibly trusting father, Rosie has a curfew and angry parents standing on the porch waiting for her. Even if we were only an hour late." He winced at the memory.

"Cockblocked by parentals? Gutting." Snickered Edward with absolutely no sympathy.

"Funny Eddie. Let's see how _you_ fair when Bella introduces you to Daddy Dearest." Emmett snickered back at my aghast look.

I hadn't even thought about the big introduction. Charlie had Edward cornered and was about to go nuclear on his ass the last time they were even in the same room. Oh god. Edward still had the ticket that Charlie issued in his room. How long does he get to pay that? Flicking my gaze to Edward he was deep in thought like me, horror and acceptance alternating at break neck speed in his eyes.

Thinking about it rationally I reasoned that Charlie had no reason to actually dislike Edward. He had actually saved my life, prevented me falling over many times and treated me with complete respect. He had kicked Newton's ass for me too, though Charlie could never find out about that one.

My brain hurt thinking about it too much. There was enough new information to evaluate without thinking about a day that is a long way in the future if I have anything to do with it. I wanted desperately to know so much more about Edward. When he talked of his parents there was such love and respect in his voice, such raw emotion when he talked of his mother that it made me ache with his emptiness. Something awful had happened to them and I wanted to know what.

Then there were the dreams.

That's a whole different issue making me intrigued. Everything he does and says pulls me into his life and world that little bit further. A week ago I would have been pushing back kicking and screaming. Now I was pulling myself closer to him, it was beginning to feel like I had only just started to live. Everything had that shiny new car smell. Even school on Monday was going to be an adventure with him by my side.

Edward and Emmett finally tired of bantering back and forth a short while later. They made me smile when they were together. The brotherly bond between them was evident from the way they ribbed each other affectionately. I suddenly realised that I had no idea what Emmett's story is. How did he come to be adopted by the Cullen's? There is no undercurrent of hopelessness like there is with Edward from him, he has accepted his life, moved on and is happy. It's admirable.

"Hey." Edward whispered into my ear, jolting me from my thoughts. Emmett was quickly forgotten as his mouth pressed a kiss onto my temple and I leaned into it with a contented sigh.

"We need to talk." I mumbled at him, trying to sound firm but failing as my breath hitched when his fingers danced across my shoulders before massaging my shoulders.

"Do we?" His voice was shaky. His face was hidden behind me but I knew I would find apprehension in it. Little did he know that I wasn't going to push him about his past any further tonight, except when it came to the little matter of his dreaming about me.

"Edward, please." Placing my hand on top of his I pulled him around to face me. "There is something I have to tell you."

"What?" His forehead creased with his frown, his eyes never leaving my own.

"This might sound a little strange, but you should know."

"What?" Frustration was clear in his eyes now as I stumbled to find the right words. It isn't east to start a conversation about this.

"For a few months now, I've been having these dreams. About a man. I didn't know who it was until recently." Realisation dawned deep in his eyes as I continued. "When you saved me...from the van. That's when I knew. I knew it was you." His fingers lifted to my face and traced the outline of my lips without looking away from my mouth.

"Your lips have haunted me from Chicago." Fingers travelled to the freckle below my eye and caressed my cheek bone. "I fell in love with the freckle below your eye." With a slow fluid grace he knelt before me, pushing between my legs before burying his face into my neck. "Your smell lingers in my nose every day when I wake up."

I was barely breathing. Here it was. We were finally admitting to each other what Jasper and Alice apparently already knew. My breathing was sporadic as his head rested at my neck, our arms around each other, his fingers rested at the small of my back, his thumbs softly stroking the sensitive skin.

"How long?" I whispered.

"Three months, give or take a week or so." He replied, suddenly his mouth opened to kiss my neck sending shivers down my body as his tongue gently flicked across the skin. "Your taste." He groaned. "Your taste was always on my tongue."

"Edward." Cradling his head in my hands I pulled his gaze up to my own. "How can this happen?"

"I'm sure Alice has theories." Amusement flashed across his eyes. "I _hope_ she has theories, because I can't explain this."

"When did you know?"

"The first day in Biology. It was your smell, the strawberries from your hair. I thought I was going insane. I thought you had been sent from hell to taunt me."

"That explains a lot." I laughed.

"I was a dick."

"You were a dick." I agreed, never looking away from his eyes.

"I'm so sorry."

"I'll make sure you pay for it." Joking I dropped a kiss onto his lips, savouring the feel of them against my own.

"Bella, I would spend the rest of my life making it up to you." He stopped; I could see his compulsion to say something else to me, to reveal another part of his soul to me. "Are you hungry?"

"Are you going to make me eggs?"

"Maybe."

"I'll pass." Giggling I pounced away from him to the fridge before he had the chance to let loose another version of the growl he should patent. Tonight's sexy noise will be the fabled disappointed growl. I wasn't away from him for long before his arms wrapped snugly across my waist from behind, pulling me tight into him.

"If you keep doing that we'll never eat again." I gasped, feeling his hardness push against my ass.

"Would that be so bad?"

"Only if we don't want to die." Finally I pulled away from him both eager to continue down that particular path and fearful that my stomach had actually started to eat itself in protest.

Twenty minutes later we were sat eating toast in complete silence. Each of us staring blatantly at the other when we thought they weren't looking. Edward's hair still stood up at every angle from when my fingers had been running and tugging through it. Sometimes I wished I could read his mind. It would make things much simpler. I could peer into his memories and thoughts and know exactly how he felt.

So far neither of us had asked any questions about the others dreams. Even though I so desperately had wanted to, but the moment he had told me he fell in love with the silly freckle that lives under my eye my head had become a black hole. Every thought had disappeared leaving me with only the happiness that felt like an ever constricting band across my lungs.

"Bella?" His voice was like a caress across my cheek. How does he do that?

"Edward?" I smiled across the table at him whilst biting into my toast.

"Do you think we have the same dreams?"

"I don't know."

"Do you think that we won't dream anymore, now that we are together?"

"Are we together?" A frown immediately creased his forehead. I hate it when he frowns.

"What do you call the last two nights?"

"I wasn't sure how you felt." I admitted.

"I think it's safe to say that we are together." Blush spread across my cheeks, a sudden shyness sweeping over me making me unable to meet his eyes.

"I thought that maybe I liked you more than you liked me." I don't know why I said it. I hadn't even thought it until that moment. This admission that we were together had thrown me for a loop. All the feelings I had been keeping pinned aside since realising it was Edward I was dreaming about were suddenly frolicking like bunnies on Red Bull and they were making me unsure about myself, about how he feels, about how _I_ feel.

His movements were so full of stealth and grace, like that of a wild cat, when he moved across to me and dropped to his knees in front of me for the second time. Hands gripped my waist, eyes peered deeply into my own framed by the frown I hated. The back of my head grazed across his jaw before leading my fingers to his hair, their favourite place to be.

"Don't ever think that." He breathed into my ear. "I love you Bella Swan."

**A/N: Hello you lovely people who have me on alert and other such technical stuff....Read, Enjoy and Review people. I'm a Review whore at the moment....it's like crack! (I'm guessing)**

**Apologies for how long it took to get this posted....have had a hectic week as usual...Am going to have more time over the next two weeks so I'll be updating as much as possible. **


	23. Green Cross Code

**Disclaimer...as usual SM owns Twilight...I own some veeeeery old copies of The Face....I miss The Face. **

**Green Cross Code**

**EPOV**

Fuck.

_I_ said it.

_She_ heard it.

I _meant_ it.

Now she hasn't spoken in what feels like forever but in reality has only been less than a minute. My face was buried in her hair next to her neck, that fucking strawberry smell taunting me with every breathe I took that she didn't feel the same way. Could I have completely misread her feelings?

When she admitted that she thought she liked me more than I liked her you could have knocked me over with a feather. How could she even think that? When every move I make is now with her best interests in mind. Unless she didn't realise that every breath I took now was only worthwhile when she was by my side?

She wasn't going to say it back.

The silence had gone on for too long. Had I scared her? Was I moving too fast? Her fingers hadn't stopped twisting in my hair. Every time she let them go wild in my hair I looked crazier than I normally did. But I didn't care, so long as she still wanted to do it.

This is why I never let myself get close to people.

This is why my Ignore Bella Plan was going to be a good thing.

She was under my skin now.

It was going to be painful if I had to ignore her now.

I don't think my body would cope with the withdrawal symptoms.

I don't think my brain would cope.

"Please say something." My mouth told her, deciding now was the time to rebel against my control. My lips grazed her neck as they spoke the words making her shiver. At least I was getting some sort of reaction from her.

"Edward." She moaned. "You make my brain stop."

What kind of fucking reply is that?

"Is that good or bad?" I mumbled. Her hands fisted into my hair, pulling my face away from her neck to stare fiercely into my eyes. I've never seen a brown so deep or lashes so perfect.

"Always good." She told me firmly with a decisive nod of her heart shaped face.

The moment had passed. She didn't say it. I could see the regret in her eyes as we continued to stare at each other. This hadn't gone as planned. I was pushing her too hard, too fast. I knew that if this was going to work then I had to let her set the pace, not pull her along behind me. I just wish I had known that before I had said those three stupid little words.

Only they weren't stupid. They meant something. They were difficult for me to admit to _myself_ let alone say out loud. Saying them had been freeing though. So maybe it wasn't such a bad thing?

Fucked if I knew.

"I'm tired. Let's go get some sleep." I told her as I stood. "Climb on." Turning my back to her I crouched so she could clamber onto my back. What I loved about her being on my back I couldn't tell you, but some prehistoric impulse in me made me want to carry her everywhere I could. I loved it. It made me feel like a man. And considering she weighed next to nothing it was a pretty easy thing to accomplish.

"I wish you wouldn't carry me around." She told my ear.

I wish you loved me.

"Yet you still climbed onto my back like a fucking monkey." I laughed and ran us up to my room with her giggles in my ear.

**BPOV**

I am such a fricking moron.

He said it into my ear. I would have to be deaf to have not heard him. I hadn't had any appendage in my mouth seconds before he said it so it counted.

I love you only counts when you say it like you mean it.

He had meant it.

So why hadn't I said it back to him?

I feel it don't I?

For goodness sake, I was turning into one of those conflicted romance novel heroines. I'll say it when it's right. I'm scared of going too fast. Renée and Charlie went too fast and I knew how that turned out. I refused to be Renée or even Charlie.

My back was being cuddled into his front, his toned long arms holding me tight across the stomach like he was scared I was going to make a run for it. Not that I could if I wanted to, I had no idea where I left my truck keys.

He hadn't mentioned it, after waiting patiently for me to return the sentiment he had changed the subject. I felt like such a bitch when I caught the brave little soldier look that was fastened onto his face. There was no light in the room but my eyes had long adjusted to the darkness. I could make out his desk, his computer, the bookcases that lined the wall. Sleep just wouldn't come. It wouldn't heed my call for sweet nothingness. Damn brain wouldn't stop whirring.

I knew it had taken a huge amount of effort for Edward to say what he did. Over the past two days he had been nothing but honest with me, answering my questions with barely a pause. What had I given to him? Nothing but questions and lack of response to his declaration of love.

Shit.

I _am_ deficient.

Do I love him?

Yes.

Can I say it?

Maybe.

Testing my ability to actually say the words I spoke them softly to the room.

"I love you Edward Cullen."

That was simple. There was no rejection, no disgusted look, no retribution. Not that there would be from Edward. I glanced back at his sleeping face and noted the serene smile on his luscious lips. The bottom one in a slight pout just begging to be taken between my own. Why is it that men always look like angels when they slept?

"I adore you Edward Cullen."

Finally I slept.

**EPOV**

We slept for far longer than is polite. Finally waking well after noon in each other's arms and for a second I had forgotten that she hadn't said she loved me. Except she had.

When she thought I was sleeping.

What a cop out.

I dropped kisses onto her shoulders to get her moving but she turned round and trapped my bottom lip between her own.

"I've wanted to do that since last night." She declared letting it free for only a second before claiming it again. I palmed her bare tits and told her the same thing making her giggle and moan. A sexier sound does not exist to me.

Her hand dove under the covers to curl around my shaft making my breathing hitch with the boldness of the move. She certainly wasn't coy when it came to this part of our relationship. Any previous concerns I had regarding her experience, or lack of, had long since been quashed. Her hand stroked along my length and all of the blood rushed straight to my groin. She smiled through the kisses she was planting across my shoulder when she felt me harden under her touch.

"Bella." I moaned, unable to string a coherent sentence together any more. She pulled away from me to look at my face, her teeth biting into her bottom lip and that was my undoing.

In a second I had her flat on her back beneath me, wriggling and giggling as one hand pinned her arms above her head and the other strayed down to thighs. My finger moved teasingly across her clit making her hips buck up against my hand eager for more friction.

"Edward." I barely heard her say my name, her head tilted back into the pillow, her back arching when my teeth grazed across her hard nipple. I was just slipping a finger inside her when my door crashed open.

I forgot to lock it.

Shit.

Emmett guffawed from the door way but didn't close the door. Before I could shout at him Bella's voice loudly pierced where there once had only been gasps and pants and moans and groans.

"What the fuck Emmett?" She actually growled at him.

"Sorry Bells. Liking your style there Edward." He raised his eyebrow and threw us a wink before continuing. "Carlisle called; they'll be home in half an hour." Then he closed the door and stomped down the hall. Her hands were still pinned down above her head, my finger at the entrance to the happiest place on earth. Disneyland had fucking nothing on Bella Swan. Our eyes locked and she dissolved into giggles.

"Thank god the covers were strategically placed." She managed to gasp out between convulsions and I couldn't help but join in. I finally managed to stop her laughter by smothering her lips with my own but before I could get too carried away she slid off the bed and started pulling on clothes.

"I'd better get home."

"No."

"No?"

"No." She rolled her eyes at me in faux annoyance.

"Yes."

"Stay." Monosyllables ruled for the next minute as we followed the same format.

"Edward." She finally sighed, tiring of our game. "Charlie will be home soon. I have to go."

"I want you to stay here forever." The stern look she wore immediately softened. I pouted up at her, determined to have her stay even if my parents would be home shortly.

"I really, really have to go. Where's my shirt?" It was currently where I had hidden it under my body when she wasn't looking.

"I don't know." I shrugged nonchalantly but she didn't fall for it.

"Edward! Give. Me. My. Shirt. Back."

"I don't know where it is." My grin gave me away and she pounced. I'd never seen her move with more elegance as her body coiled and pounced down onto mine. "I knew I'd get you back into my bed." I murmured against her neck as I held her in place gripping her waist.

"Don't get me all riled up when you can't finish the job Cullen."

"Don't call me Cullen." Her hips circled once against my groin with a delicious slow purpose.

Tease.

"Your parents are going to be home any minute." Her hips continued to slowly circle against my groin making me hard and uncomfortable within the confines of my hastily thrown on jeans.

"Bella." I managed to groan out when my fingers dug into her ass pulling her tighter into me making sure she could feel how hard she made me. Her hands slid down to cover my own. I thought she was going to press them further into her flesh but she prised them off her perfect ass and she hopped up from the bed, holding her shirt victoriously.

How did she get that from under me without me noticing?

That's right, she was grinding my junk to distract me.

"You're a tease."

"Yup." She threw her shirt over her head. "All's fair in love and war."

"It was hardly war." I sat up and grabbed for her hand but she was too fast.

Has Jasper been teaching her the art of spry bastardness?

Before I could use all of my allotted seduction weapons I heard a car pull up in front of the house. Bella's eyes widened as she realised that my parents had arrived home, the horror of the situation took over her expression. I didn't care, I wanted Esme and Carlisle to meet Bella, to love her like I do.

"Edward I can't meet your parents like this." Her hands worked through her hair in a desperate attempt to smooth it down and hide the fact she had just gotten out of bed.

"You've already met Carlisle." I reminded her.

"I am not meeting your mother looking like an easy slut." She hissed at me, grabbing her trainers and yanking them on.

"It's too late Bella, unless you plan on hiding out up here for the rest of the day." I laughed as she looked like she was contemplating the idea, her brain working furiously to find a way out of the house without being seen.

Too little too late at that point as we heard Emmett's loud voice drifting up the stairs.

"Edward! Bella! They are home." Bella looked like she wanted to fly down the stairs and grab Emmett by the throat as his statement was accompanied by the soft laughter I knew well but she had never heard.

"Come and give your mother a hug Edward." Esme called up and I heard them move through to the kitchen, heard the kettle being filled and switched on, the sounds of cups being placed on the counter, of a spoon being pulled out of the drawer. Bella sank down onto the bed with her face in her hands with a small groan. "How does Bella take her coffee?"

Esme's voice asked through the intercom. I shrugged, even though she couldn't see me.

"Bella?"

"Milk. One sugar." The acceptance of imminent doom was obvious in her voice, she finally lifted her head and looked at me looking terrified. "You're mother is going to think I'm a total slut." She moaned.

"Milk. One sugar Esme. We'll be down in a moment." My finger slipped off the button and I walked over to Bella, pulling her onto her feet and enveloping her in my arms. "She won't. Esme doesn't judge people Bella. Besides, you are no slut." I murmured soothing words onto the top of her head until her posture shifted and she was standing with more assurance than she had been.

"Don't leave my side." She whispered into my ear before taking my hand and gesturing for me to lead the way downstairs.

**BPOV**

Oh my god.

Oh my god.

Oh my god.

With every step down to the kitchen where Edward's parents lay in wait this chanted in my head. Barely able to keep from hyperventilating I focussed my eyes on Edward's back. The only thing keeping me from bolting was his reassuring hand in mine. When his skin touched mine a soothing wave of calm would wash over me, leaving the rest of the world pale in comparison to him.

The absolute terror I had been feeling in the bedroom had decreased to only a tremor, vibrating dangerously underneath the calm. As soon as Edward takes his hand from mine it will explode in a hideous display of stuttering, tripping and mortification. A display that would make Emmett snicker like the devious fucker he is. I could have killed him when he announced I was here in a non subtle manner. It took every muscle in my body to make me stay on the spot and not sprint down the stairs to exact a bloody revenge.

Edward turned into the kitchen and I expected his hand to drop from my own but his grip tightened slightly to reassure me before relaxing but not disappearing. Emmett sat with his back to us and when we walked past him my hand shot out at its own volition and smacked him directly across the back of the head in a quick movement.

"Hey!" He cried out, his hand moving to the spot I had made contact with as Edward's laugh filled the room. Thankfully the Cullen parents were pulling their suitcases in from the car at the time.

"You're lucky it wasn't worse Emmett." I hissed with venom. "I could kill you right now."

"You should have been more concerned with leaving before they got back than having Edward inside you then." He pouted at me and sniggered at the aghast look on my face.

Before I could come up with a witty retort Mrs Cullen silently padded into the room and hugged Edward, he dropped my hand and returned the hug. Leaving me standing awkwardly, unsure as to whether I should sit down or remain standing. The past couple of days had left me comfortable in the Cullen household, but now the rules had changed, the parents were back under the roof and I was the interloper.

"Esme this is Bella." Edward stepped back and made a sweeping gesture with his arm.

"Bella, I'm so pleased to meet you. I trust the boys have been gracious hosts?" What Esme did next shocked the hell out of me. She wrapped her elegant arms around me and gave me a hug filled with warmth and love, just like the one she had bestowed Edward with only moments ago. I found myself hugging her back. She was cloaked in the scent of a classic and no doubt expensive perfume, dressed in soft fabric and when she pulled back I found myself wishing she would adopt me.

She seemed to tower over me, her chocolate honey hair perfectly coiffed, makeup looking like it had been done by a professional. This was a woman who would leave people in awe. I realised I was gaping at her like a moron quickly after she had stepped back and awaited my answer.

"Yes, they have both been great." I tried to smile winningly at her but am pretty sure I looked like I had the IQ of Forest Gump. "You're home is gorgeous."

"Thank you." The radiance of her smile almost floored me.

"Bella was helping me with some biology homework Esme." Edward informed her casually, throwing himself down onto a chair with a practiced nonchalance. Mrs Cullen gave me a sly look, quickly appraising my hastily thrown on shirt, the pillow creases still indented on my face and finally my hair in its entire finger brushed glory as her elegant eyebrow arched.

"That certainly takes a lot of study and practice to get right." She said with a completely straight face, Emmett winked at me from behind Esme's back, Edward smirked and my face went the colour of a tomato.

"I should go home. I don't want to intrude on your homecoming." Edward frowned deeply at me when I mentioned going home and Esme noticed with a contemplative look that was quickly smoothed away.

"Don't be silly." Said a deep voice from behind me. Dr Cullen rounded into my vision and smiled at me in welcome. "Nice to see you again Bella."

"You too Dr Cullen."

"Please, call me Carlisle out with the confines of the hospital." His steady hand clapped down onto Edwards shoulder before scooping up a cup from the table and bringing it to his lips.

I was uncomfortable and itching to leave, but to leave now would be the ultimate in how not to interact with your new boyfriends parents. They had just welcomed me to stay in their house and there was not a hint of falseness in it. These people were polite, rich and beautiful. Taken separately every single one of them was an impressive specimen of aesthetically pleasing genetics. Together, as a family unit, they were breathtaking. They looked like the kind of family you would see in an aspirational advert for some sort of healthy living.

I didn't belong in their presence, let alone in one of their beds.

Charlie would be home in a couple of hours and I wanted to be back when he arrived. It would help to have Alice there too, to keep up the illusion that I had spent the weekend with her. She would be absolutely desperate to question me about the weekend anyway so I knew I would have no problem getting her to come over. Sunday's were the Hale Quality Family Time day, so Jasper would most probably be somewhere that involved rented shoes, which he hates. It dawned on me suddenly that I had no idea where my phone was, or my car keys.

"Edward? Um, do you know where my phone is?" He shook his head and shrugged at me.

"You maybe left it upstairs Bella." Interjected Emmett. "I'm pretty sure I saw you with it last night."

I could have died. Even if it was perfectly obvious that I had been here for the night I was content for it to be unspoken. For Edward to have to field the questions once I had left. Again my face felt like it was on fire and Emmett shook with laughter.

"Bella?" Esme started. "We are perfectly fine with the boys having overnight guests."

What?

What kind of parents are they?

Wait, how many times has this happened before? This nice cup of coffee with Edward's latest conquest? Am I only the latest in the long line of suckers who had fallen for his 'your lips have haunted me from Chicago' and 'I love you' crap?

"Happens a lot does it?" I asked no one in particular coldly. "I should go."

"Bella, that wasn't what she meant." Edward quickly jumped to explain but I didn't listen, I didn't care. I was an idiot. Of course he had a past. A past that included a multitude of easy skanks who all looked like Jessica fucking Stanley. I knew I didn't belong here. Edward was destined to be with someone who looked like a fricking supermodel with the brains of a rocket scientist. The kind of woman who raises millions to help a war torn country in the morning and wins a volleyball championship in the afternoon.

The kind of woman that I currently was not and had no hope in hell of becoming.

Irrational thoughts continued to prance around my head as I scrambled to find my phone and my keys.

Why do I have to lose everything?

I was sure I had left them on the coffee table beside the cream couch.

Dammit.

"Bella, stop, look, listen."

"Don't recite the fucking green cross code to me Edward." I told him in a low warning tone. I was suddenly not in the mood to be fucked with.

"Please. I've never, _ever_, had anyone stay overnight before." That made me stop.

"Let alone someone I wanted Esme and Carlisle to meet." That made me look.

"_I love you_." I was listening, and so was everyone else in the house as they stood crowded in the doorway trying to look subtle and failing in epic style when Emmett and Carlisle let loose identical low whistles of amazement. Edward glared at them to make them disperse but Esme lingered and smiled proudly before disappearing.

"I know you must have a past Edward. That you didn't live the life of a monk before you met me."

"Then why are you acting like a lunatic?"

"I don't know." I answered honestly. I didn't know whether it was because I was so intimidated by his life and family or because it drove me crazy to imagine his lips touching anyone other than me.

"Are you jealous?" He asked with a little self satisfied smirk. One that I wanted to smack off his face with the back of my hand.

"Maybe." Exasperated I admitted one of the options, lowering my eyes again, too embarrassed to even look at him. "At least with me you have nothing to be jealous about."

"Are you kidding me? What about Newton? Or that fucking bar guy? Or any of the other runts at school who use you as spank bank fodder?"

"Ew."

"It's true Bella, I've got everyone to be jealous of. I may have had a past, but _you_ are my future."

Smooth bastard.

He had closed the space between us, his face tilted down to mine barely half an inch away. My hands found themselves sitting on the waistband of his jeans, working their way back towards his absolutely biteable ass. His lips made light fluttering contact with my forehead before making acquaintance with my cheek bones, my chin, my neck and finally arriving with more pressure on my mouth. His teeth grazing my bottom lip before his tongue smoothed along my teeth and pushed further into my mouth. Aware his parents were in the next room I pushed away from his slightly but couldn't bear to not have any contact with him at all. My hand slipped into his and I grinned sheepishly up at him.

"I think you may have to get used to me being irrational when it comes to you and other female type people."

"Only if you can get used to me being jealous of any guy that leers like a sex offender at you."

"I fear we have reached an impasse."

"Take things as they come, Bella, I get the feeling we can work through anything so long as we are honest with each other." I nodded in agreement. He wasn't the only one feeling like that now. As irrational as I can be when it comes to Edward Cullen I could see that the only thing that could trip us up was deceit. And I for one planned to be nothing but completely honest with Edward, no matter how painful that could end up being for one of us in the times to come.

"I really should go home now. Where are my keys?" His mouth quirked slightly before he pointed to his pocket. "Give me them then!"

"Fine, spoilsport."

"I'm not rummaging about in your pockets with your parents only a room away."

"I'll say it again, spoilsport."

"You are such a deviant."

"You love it." He pronounced with conviction. "Your truck is in the garage, I had Emmett bring it in last night. Through here." We walked through a door I hadn't noticed before and were suddenly in the garage.

My truck sat alongside a huge Jeep, Edwards Volvo, a classic Jaguar and a fancy ass sports car that I'd never seen before. It was long, sleek, and shiny and probably cost more than Charlie could make in two years. In other words a complete waste of money but I wagered the engine purred like a contented wild cat. Rose would love it.

"Nice car." I commented.

"It's my fancy occasion car."

"It's yours?!" How could a seventeen year old afford a car like that? Then it occurred to me that he had said his father was an accountant. Aren't they meant to make megabucks? It would make sense that he had been left everything. He had never mentioned any siblings or extended family. Surely he would be living with them if they existed.

"Well, yeah. It was gifted to me."

"Gifted? By whom? The Queen?"

"Carlisle's father gave it to me when I turned seventeen."

"We have lived two very different kinds of existence." I mumbled, feeling insecure again. The altruistic volleyball playing goddess loomed large in my mind again before I beat her down with Edward's declaration of love for me.

"Not anymore." He grinned at me, looking suddenly more like a teenager than like the man he usually did. "I don't think I can wait until tomorrow to see you again Bella." He backed me up against the truck, his arms either side of me, his body pinning me in place.

"You are just going to have to Edward. I really have to leave."

"Part of me is scared that you won't come back." He admitted, lowering his eyes before sweeping them back up to mine.

"Don't be silly. I haven't finished interrogating you." I grinned at him before managing to duck under his shoulder. If I didn't manage to leave now I never would. Unlocking the truck I yanked the door open. The creaking hinge echoed through the sterile garage. Honestly I'd never seen a garage so devoid of oil and grease.

Sitting on the driver's seat was the biggest bouquet of red roses I had ever seen.

Turning to face Edward I went to thank him, even though I had told him during our many question and answer sessions over the past couple of days I had told him that I hated roses, that they were the most clichéd flower one could ever receive.

"Thank you." I told him, wrapping my arms around his tensed waist. His eyes didn't leave the flowers.

"You don't like roses, you think they are clichéd." He told me, remembering our conversation.

His jaw clenched, making the muscles flex.

"I didn't do that."

**A/N: Howdy peeps.....Read, Review, Recommend to Friends and Family!....if you want to. **

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	24. Converted

**Disclaimer: I own not Twilight or the associated world, SM does....I own a Dr Who Dalek mug. **

**Converted**

**EPOV**

What kind of fuckery is this?

My eyes wouldn't stop peering at the bouquet. They were lush and red and severely doing my head in. There had to be more than twenty, sitting looking innocent with sprigs of white shit between them. I'd only ever seen a bouquet as resplendent as this once before. Bella placed her arm on my sleeve and tugged, trying to pull my attention onto her. My jaw clenched and unclenched making the muscles twitch as I tried to work out who would have done such a thing.

"Edward." Bella's voice pierced through my thoughts and finally I looked down into her wide eyes. "If you didn't leave them then who did?"

I merely shrugged in response.

"Were they in the truck when Emmett brought it in?"

Again I shrugged. They had to have been. There is no way on earth someone could get past the alarm system. But if they were then why didn't he say anything? In two strides I was at the door and shouting for Emmett.

"What's up?"

"That's what's up." I told him, foregoing any sort of greeting and pointing at the roses. "Were they in their when you brought the truck in?"

"Yeah." It was his turn to shrug, his eyes scanning from me to Bella and back again, taking in the uneasy expression on our faces. "I thought you had left them there."

At least we didn't have to work out how someone bypassed the alarm system. All I had to do was work out who was leaving my girlfriend flowers as she slept in my bed.

"Newton?" Emmett mirrored my own thought process, working through reasonable suspects. "I thought you were just being paranoid last night." He admitted, throwing me an apologetic look.

"Last night?" Bella finally spoke again, her face pushed into my arm, her body utilising my own as a shield.

"I thought I saw someone moving about outside." I admitted, seriously pissed off. I wanted her to feel safe when she was here, when she was with me. Knowing that someone was creeping about outside as she slept was not going to make her comfortable being here.

"Oh. You didn't see who it was?"

"I wasn't sure it was a person." I told her which elicited a raised eyebrow and nothing else. If I could read her mind I would a happy man. Sometimes she just didn't give me a clue. She could be so frustrating.

"Well, seeing as they aren't from you then I don't want them." She marched over to the truck and yanked out the bouquet before stomping over towards the bin and hovering them over the yawning opening. She paused. "Here." Thrusting them at Emmett she wiped her hands together.

"Why Bells, I didn't know you cared." With a flutter of his eyelashes Emmett sniggered before looking down at them confused.

"Go give them to Mrs Hale. It'll win you major brownie points."

"Sweet, thanks Bells." His face still held a frown as he gave me a quick nod and left, letting me know that he was still thinking possible suspects.

Bella walked over to me and leaned her body against mine, wrapping her arms around my torso and resting her head on my chest.

"I'm going home. Don't get worked up about the stupid flowers." She whispered.

"I won't."

I fucking will.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Pushing up on her tiptoes her lips met mine in a chaste closed mouth kiss but her fingernails trailed over my shirt and across my stomach making the muscle tense.

"See you tomorrow." I sighed, admitting defeat when she hopped into the truck. I hate her driving that thing. It looks like a clown car, the kind where all the panelling falls off and she's left with nothing but a steering wheel and a seat.

I'm picking her up tomorrow morning and driving her to school whether she likes it or not.

I felt a sudden compulsion to have her within my sight as much as possible.

**BPOV**

There was a strange wave of relaxation that descended upon me when I walked through my front door. Charlie wasn't back yet, the house was silent and I flopped down onto the couch to enjoy it. Being at Edward's all weekend was great but I had missed my bed. There is nothing like the feeling of your own bed. It would be even better if he was in it with me, but I would enjoy it nonetheless.

His reaction to the roses freaked me out a little bit. He seemed incredibly discombobulated by them, as was I. Not once in my life had anyone given me flowers. There hadn't been a card with them. The entire thing was a bit weird.

Before Charlie came home I tidied the house, cleaned the kitchen and basically did housework things that we both usually tried to avoid. Alice turned up without me having to even call her, like some sort of psychic she bundled through the door just as I picked up the phone to call her.

"Hello!" She had to shout to be heard over the music I had blaring through the house.

"Hey." Giving her a quick hug in greeting I resumed singing along badly, finishing the dusting as she curled up on the couch.

Eventually I convinced her to help me out, suggesting that it would be quicker if two of us worked instead of just me. I knew she was dying to throw a hundred questions at me so I knew it would work. She was more of a stranger to housework than I; her parents had hired a cleaner so she never had to think about it. Her house was always sparkling and clean.

"Are we done yet?" She whined at me ineffectually glancing a cloth over the same spot again and again. I glanced around and decreed that we had made a decent enough job of it.

"Yup." I nodded. She actually bounced with glee.

"So?"

"So what?" I laughed, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

"I've barely seen you since Friday Bells. I need to be updated."

So I told her. Almost everything. The information Edward had trusted me with about his parents was not mine to share. Alice would only ever know that if he chose to tell her himself. Besides, I didn't have all of that information myself. But I told her about his kiss, his touch, his heart and that he loved me.

"Do you love him?" I hadn't told him yet, I wasn't going to tell Alice first.

"I adore him." I sighed, dropping back onto the chair and staring at the ceiling.

"That's beautiful." She sighed in return.

"When did you know you were in love with Jasper?"

"I feel like I've loved him forever Bella. I don't remember a time when I didn't."

"Now _that's_ beautiful."

We sat in silence for a while. Each of us lost in our own little worlds. I had only ever known Jasper and Alice as a package deal. To love one of them is to love the other. It didn't seem possible that they existed without each other. I'm a cynic when it comes to love. Before I moved to Forks I believed that love only existed in the movies, and even then it was fraught with tension and tragedy. I'd never witnessed real love. Then I met them.

And I was converted.

So now, here I was, on the verge of being something I never used to believe in. Who am I kidding? I'm way past the verge; I'd stepped over that daunting precipice without even realising it. Now I'm plummeting down dangerously fast and something has to give.

Everything's perfect right now.

I don't want anything to change.

**A/N: Read, Enjoy and leave me a happy inspiring Review!**

**Three things...One...I know this is short, but after alot of thinking and tinkering and advisement from my unofficial editor it has been decided that it works this way....Two...I'm sorry it's taken so long even though it is a short chapter, have been busy busy busy...pesky college leaving me no free time....Three....Thank you everyone who leaves me reviews and kind words and adds this to their favourites and alerts and sends me happy positive thoughts...you are all fabulous. **

**'Til next time peeps!**


	25. Home

**Disclaimer....I don't own Twilight...I own a shiny new copy of Twilight on DVD...pesky release date ages after the USofA...2 disc preordered goodness.**

**Home**

**BPOV**

I knew his touch now. When his hands stroked down my ribs and settled on my hips before skimming round and down to my thighs I knew how it felt when he did it in reality. I knew this was a dream. I knew that reality was that much better. But still when his lips pressed down onto my flesh and my hands raked through his hair my breathing hitched, my hips bucked and in the silent room as I slept a groan echoed from deep within my throat.

My legs wrapped around his waist to pull him closer to me, his pale hard chest pushing down onto mine. The weight above me delicious as tingles spread from my toes up.

"Don't ever stop." I whispered into his ear as he pushed deep inside me making me throw my head back with the overwhelming feeling of being wanted as much as I coveted. With every thrust of his hips he brought us closer but I still clung onto him like he was going to be torn away from me at any moment. Nails dug into his back, my teeth pushed down onto his shoulder, my legs strained around his waist, clinging to keep hold of a feeling so complete.

The reservoir of orgasm that had been pooling suddenly started to splinter, sending shards through every part of my body making me tremble and struggle for breath. My lips found his and I kissed him deeply as he twitched inside me.

"I love you." I gasped. "Don't leave me."

When I awoke tears streamed down my cheeks as my body trembled with the aftershocks of intense pulsing pleasure. This was new. I'd never woken to tears before. I was an old friend to the shivers travelling down my spine but I'd never felt this desperate need to dream again as quickly as possible, just to make sure that he would be waiting for me.

My hair was damp from sweat and tears so I pulled myself from the warm cocoon of my bed to take a shower, careful to avoid the sleeping figure of Alice on the floor. There would be no way sleep would grace me with its presence again before time to get up and go to school. I couldn't shake the feeling of desperation I had felt in the dream. It was a heartbreaking devastation of need and want.

Feeling the hot water needle down onto my cold body shook me out of my reverie. Quickly washing my hair I tried to shake the hollow feeling left within me. It was going to be a long wait until I saw Edward at school. I wanted him to be beside me, to be wrapping me in his arms and whispering that he wasn't going anywhere. That I was his and he was mine and there would never be any question of it.

**EPOV**

Her eyes sparkled with tears as her mouth whispered words into my ear.

"Don't ever stop."

Her nails dug into my back, trying to pull me closer, her teeth sunk into my shoulder as I moved against her, her thighs clung to my hips and her ankles locked behind me. She struggled for breath as her body started to shake with the force of her climax. Kissing me deeply as I twitched deep inside her, riding through my own release I watched tears silently break out of her eyes and travel down her beautiful face.

"I love you." She gasped at me. "Don't leave me."

Waking up to the darkened room I cursed out loud. What was that about? Grumping wildly I balled up the sheets and stalked through to the shower. Apparently knowing the pleasure of being deep inside Bella in reality didn't diminish the power of the dreams.

There was desperation to her words, to my thrusts, to her kiss. It felt like there was a very real threat to our union, one that was out of sight. One that I couldn't fight.

**BPOV**

Charlie hovered around behind me in the kitchen as I cooked up some breakfast for us all. He wasn't usually a hoverer but we hadn't really spoken since his return yesterday and I think he was trying to make up for being away all weekend. Alice had monopolised my time with questions about Edward. It had taken her a good couple of hours to work up to asking about the dreams. When I told her he had been dreaming about me for as long as I had him she had a triumphant grin on her face.

"_I told you." _

"_I know you did. Do you know how it could be happening?"_

"_Um...no." She laughed. "I'm not all knowing and all seeing Bells. I just know stuff sometimes."_

"_You're no help then are you?!" Laughing I rolled my eyes._

"_I read one theory that when you dream of someone in particular that they will have a dream about you."_

"_That doesn't explain how it was him."_

"_Buddhists believe that dreams are a form of cognition that provides access to powerful states of consciousness."_

"_Like being psychic?"_

"_Yeah, kind of. So you could look at it like you were foretelling your future of meeting him."_

"_How likely is that?" _

"_I'm not an expert Bells." She shrugged at me. "I've read a couple of other things about it too. Like, a theory of soul mates."_

"_What's that?" I questioned, fascinated by the theories Alice had read up on regardless of the fact that I was unlikely to believe in any of them. _

"_It's where the point of your life is to find the person you are meant to be with. Your sub conscious is leading you to make decisions to find them. Then when that life is over then your next life is the same thing. The more lives that you've had before means you make the right decisions quicker and you join with your soul mate sooner."_

"_Do you believe in any of those Alice?" Sincerely interested in the answer._

"_I believe in Jasper." _

Pancakes started to burn as I got lost in my head. Flipping it over I reached a decision.

I didn't care.

I didn't care for a reason. I wasn't desperate for an explanation. I wanted Edward and I have him. There was no need to find some sort of logic to this entirely illogical situation.

A weight lifted off my shoulders and I felt relief as I placed a plate of breakfast in front of Charlie and Alice. For years I had always needed a logical explanation for everything that was happening in my life. But I was beginning to realise that love isn't logical, and when it came to Edward I lost all need for justification.

"You look happy this morning Bella." Charlie commented, his fork spearing into the pancakes from a great height.

"Do I?" Grinning at him I popped some food into my mouth as Alice raised an eyebrow at me from across the table.

"Yes, you do." His eyes flicked from my face to Alice and back again. Damn. I sometimes forget that he isn't just my taciturn father; he is actually a Police Chief with more experience reading people than I thought. It wasn't that I wanted to hide the fact that I was experiencing something new and beautiful with Edward. I would just rather he didn't have to think about Edward as some sort of predator after his daughter's maidenhood.

He would slap a chastity belt on me quicker than I could blink.

"It's almost Thanksgiving Charlie and you know what that means." Distracted Alice.

"I know what it means to most folks Alice, but to you I'm guessing shopping." He laughed, forgetting his suspicions. I could have kissed Alice with gratitude.

"Bingo." She laughed.

"Right girls, have a good day." He pushed his chair back from the table and stood up to leave.

"Good luck protecting the good citizens of Forks today Charlie, be careful." Alice called out to him as he left the house.

"Always am." Was the mumbled reply, the door closing softly behind him.

He was gone little more than five minutes before there was a loud thumping on the door that made us both jump. Frowning I opened the door just as a hand was about to crash back down onto it. The sun reflected off Alice's car making me temporarily blind and I squinted up into the face before me.

"Good morning." I saw his mouth first. The mouth that belonged to me now. His smooth voice caressed my face just before his hand did.

"Good morning to you." With a step towards me he rested his chin on the top of my head.

"I missed you last night." He told me before kissing down the side of my face, making the hollow feeling in my stomach disappear as suddenly as it had appeared.

"Stop it you two, it's making me nauseous." Alice threw my bag at me with a laugh before nudging me further out the door and closing it behind us.

"Hello Alice." Edward grumbled.

"Thought I was meeting you at school?"

"I wanted to pick you up." That was that then. I knew he hated me driving my truck but I wasn't going to complain that he was here, just grumble a little that he doesn't trust my innate skill with the death trap.

"You have an issue with my truck." I told him.

"I'm surprised your father doesn't have an issue with the fucking thing either." He replied before catching my mouth with his own and opening the passenger door for me. Alice threw us a wave and climbed into her car, gunning it a little and screeching in the direction of Jasper's house.

**EPOV**

Her hand sat in mine the entire ride to school. Her little thumb stroking across my skin making it tingle with anticipation. Any time her skin touched mine it made me vibrate with emotion. There was a compulsion within me to touch some part of her at all times.

I kept my eyes on the road but could see her watch my face from my peripheral vision. Her eyes were locked on me like I was going to suddenly disappear in a puff of smoke. When she bit down on her bottom lip I almost parked the car in the nearest secluded spot to have my wicked way with her. If she had been wearing a skirt I would have. I could feel my jeans getting a little tighter just thinking about it.

"Esme wants you to come to dinner tonight." I told her in a desperate bid to distract my mind and force the blood back up into my head.

"Why?"

"Don't look so worried." I laughed at the expression on her face. My hand took on a life of its own and stroked down her face, glancing across her shoulder and cupping her breast as I ran my thumb across her erect nipple.

"Don't do that." She admonished me with shock, batting my hand away from her.

"Why?"

"Because we just arrived at school." Laughing I pulled to a stop beside Alice's car. Neither of us made any move to leave the security of the car. We were still grasping hands but her grip had become tighter all of a sudden. "Everyone's looking."

"I don't care." I told her and it was the truth. I didn't care that half the school was staring at us, that Mike Newton was hovering by the door being kept away by the invisible force field of Jasper and Emmett's glares of hatred. Her smile brightened the entire world when she unleashed it upon me.

"Me neither." Her teeth sank into her bottom lip and I couldn't help but lean over and kiss her softly. She was mine and soon everyone would know it. I rushed out of the car and went to open her door but she was already closing it by the time I was round there.

"So, you are coming to dinner?" My hand snaked around to sit on her hip.

"Any excuse to spend time with you." She smiled up at me shyly.

"I love you."

**

* * *

**There was never a moment when I didn't think of Bella throughout the day. Waiting for her to come out of gym after school was the longest wait. I knew she had the class with Newton, as did Jasper and Emmett. We three stood staring at the door, awaiting her and Alice's exit, with our arms crossed.

It was ridiculous, thinking that there was some sort of danger in the safety of the school, but still we patiently waited in a macho display of pointlessness.

They bundled out of the door arm in arm talking and laughing with a scowling Newton behind them. Now was the time to ask him if he was the fucktard who left flowers in my girlfriend's truck. His face was swollen and bruised; the imprint of my fist still evident just like his was across my abdomen. He was scowling intently at the back of Bella's head and that just wasn't cricket.

"Newton!" I hissed his name, breaking his concentration. Immediately his eyes started darting about looking for escape once he clocked the three of us standing before him. Bella glanced behind her and rolled her eyes, tightening her grip on Alice's arm and picking up the pace to reach us.

"What do you want Cullen?" He stopped cautiously a few feet away from us. Jasper wrapped his arms around Alice when she reached him and placed a loving kiss on the top of her head. They mumbled something to each other before turning back to face Newton.

"Did you leave Bella flowers?" I took a couple of steps towards him, aware of Emmett stepping behind me. The look of confusion on his face was genuine.

"No." I didn't have to be a mind reader to know he was telling the truth. "Can I go now?" The contempt was dripping from his words and I had an overwhelming urge to punch him again, especially when he glanced at Bella standing behind me and winked. I didn't have the chance to move before Emmett growled from behind and stepped forward, causing Newton to bolt.

"Will you just forget about the stupid fucking flowers?" Bella all but yelled at me when I turned round.

"I can't."

"Why not?" Alice and Jasper edged away from us and Emmett walked casually to his jeep.

"It annoyed me." That was partly the truth, it had annoyed the fuck out of me but it was more than that.

"Please." Her body pushed into mine. She was a perfect fit. The feeling of her in my arms made me forget almost everything.

Except.

"Let's go."

* * *

"It's a beautiful night so Carlisle thought he would barbecue on the deck." Esme told us when we arrived. It seemed like a good idea to me and Emmett was pretty impressed too. There was nothing he liked more than a steak barely cooked on a barbecue. The man was a beast for almost raw red meat.

Bella, Emmett and I played games in the entertainment room until Esme finally called us up for dinner. Emmett tried his best to diffuse the slight tension still surrounding Bella and me but it wouldn't dissipate. I knew that the only way it was going to disappear would be to tell Bella the whole truth about why the flowers really creeped me out. It was a difficult conversation and just the thought of it was making me tense. There was only one option and it was complete honesty, just like I had told her yesterday.

After she had left yesterday Esme and Carlisle had started with the questions, the main one being why I had a gash above my eyebrow. That was not a fun conversation but they listened without judging to both Emmett and I as we explained the situation. Instead of being angry they had merely nodded, telling me to watch my temper in future and involve the police instead. Then Esme had requested that I invite Bella to dinner so that they could get to know her better. I had conceded with a roll of my eyes but I would use any excuse to have Bella around now.

Things had most definitely changed from only a week ago when I was trying my hardest to avoid all contact with her. This weekend had broken that already weak resolve into so many tiny matchsticks that even Rain man wouldn't be able to count them in a single glance.

"Have you considered what colleges to apply for yet Bella?" Carlisle asked as we sat around the table on the back deck. The night had cooled considerably and even though Emmett had turned on the towering heater there were still goose bumps all over Bella's exposed arms.

"I haven't given it much thought to be honest. It feels like I have all the time in the world to make that decision." She replied as she cut into her steak, peering through the darkness at the bloody juices seeping out of it. I pulled off my sweater in a swift motion before handing it over; she shrugged it over her head and down her body with a grateful smile and sweep of her hand across my arm.

"I haven't decided either." Emmett informed us, pulling the conversation away from Bella. I was equal parts annoyed and impressed that he knew her well enough to deflect attention away from her when she wasn't comfortable. All she had done was shift slightly in her chair and look down at her plate a little too intently but he had picked it up.

"Emmett, you have to make that decision soon." Esme admonished.

"I thought I knew where I wanted to be, but suddenly I'm not too sure." He had been set on Columbia. He loved New York when we lived there for a time. New York to him was what Chicago was to me. I knew his reasoning without even asking. Wherever Rosalie chose to grace with her presence would also be in receipt of Emmett's athletic prowess.

"When are you trying out for any teams?" I didn't know what sort of sports Forks offered, it wasn't high on my list of things to know, but when it came to new schools Emmett would try out for all teams. More often than not he would be accepted onto all of them and he would make his decision dependent on what sport he especially loved.

"I've spoken to the football coach and I'm joining practice in Monday, I'm looking forward to kicking some ass on the field." He grinned at me and I guessed Newton was on the football team.

"What schools have you thought about Edward?" Bella asked me softly.

"I've considered most of the Ivy Leagues, Brown, Cornell, Columbia, Yale and Dartmouth, plus Chicago State and Stanford. I haven't made a choice yet." I told her honestly. "But it's over a year away, lots of time for decision making."

"I'm guessing you don't have to rely on a scholarship."

"No. Have you considered anywhere?"

"I'll probably end up in Seattle." She smiled. "Where did you study Carlisle?"

"I studied in Scotland before enrolling in Harvard's medical school."

"Where in Scotland?"

"St Andrews. It was an excellent experience, and I would recommend it to both Emmett and Edward." He smiled fondly, remembering his days as a carousing student in Scotland. When we had lived in Edinburgh he had basically regressed when he met up with his old university friends. Esme was mightily unimpressed when he would be carried home and left on the door step. That's quite possibly the reason we didn't stay there for long.

Bella looked impressed and slightly awe struck by Carlisle and his academic past. We were all used to women fawning over him and being impressed by his looks, his compassion and patience. Not his academic prowess.

"And you Esme?" Her eyes lit up when Bella addressed her, I was beginning to see a distinct affection growing within Esme for Bella, which surprised me considering she had only met her twice and barely spent any time with her.

"I went to Ohio State, not quite as lofty as Carlisle." She laughed and stroked her hand down the length of his arm with affection. "But I loved it all the same."

The conversation continued along in the same vein until I excuse both Bella and myself. We walked in silence up to my room. There was one thing I really wanted to do as soon as we got into the privacy of my bedroom and there was one thing I was loath to do but knew she would prefer answers over major kissage. Taking a chance I kicked the door shut with my foot as I twirled her round pushing her back up against it. My mouth descended, her lips meeting mine matching my ferocity. There was no feeling on earth better than this.

I broke our kiss after she had pushed off the door and started walking me towards the bed. The backs of my knees hitting against the mattress sending me down with her on top of me. Her knees straddled either side of my torso as her lips kissed along my jaw, down my neck, across my cheek bones. If I didn't stop it then we would be taking it too far. There was a very real risk of one of the other three people in the house walking in on us.

"Why are you always the one to pull away? You're making me feel like a deviant." She sighed against my neck, the hot breath sending shivers through me testing my resolve.

"Did you dream last night?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"I woke up crying."

"You were crying in my dream."

"I told you to never stop in mine."

"Same."

"Well." She struggled to find another way to vocalise her thoughts on the issue.

"Yup." As did I.

**BPOV**

Neither of us spoke for a while. Silence swam through the room and I lay in his arms taking in the realisation that we dreamt the same fricking dreams. How is that even possible? My resolve from this morning about not needing answers was rapidly slipping away. I wanted answers now.

I wanted to know how we could ever have even imagined each other. The perfect detail of him in my dreams was not imagined. I had drawn my tongue languidly across the scar that was slashed across his back in reality as well as in my dreams.

I hadn't even asked him how that happened.

Hours I had spent memorising the lines of his body, every freckle and scar was etched into my memory forever. There was so much to learn about this exquisite specimen of man lying next to me. Unconsciously my fingers stroked across his jaw feeling the rough stubble on the pads of my fingers. Whenever I touched him my stomach lurched with an indescribable mixture of lust, love and pure unadulterated need.

It was going to be impossible to find a definitive answer to the dreams. Alice's theory of soul mates was beginning to sound more and more plausible to my cynical self. He shifted under me as he stretched over to pick up a remote control, after pressing a couple of buttons he threw it down to the bottom of the bed.

"About the flowers." I tensed in his arms.

Not the fucking flowers again. I was sick of hearing about them. He hadn't mentioned them at all this morning, but since lunch it seemed like every second sentence was about those goddamn flowers.

Beyond caring was my state of mind about them. Most of everyone at school knew what had happened at the party, so if I wasn't at home then it wouldn't have taken a rocket scientist to find me.

They were just flowers.

"Edward can we please just forget about them? Please?" I was at the point of begging now. I didn't want this to be a bone of contention between us.

"Bella, you have to realise that I'm going to be annoyed about this."

"_You_ have to realise that I'm yours." My hands cupped his face forcing him to look at me.

"I know you are." Hot breath hit my face gently when he sighed this sentence out, his face not giving anything away. "There are things that you don't know Bella, and when you do then I think you'll understand."

"Tell me." It was more of a command than a question, one that he followed implicitly.

Words stuttered in his throat as he tried to find a way to start. Anticipation churned within me, mixing with the slight tinge of dread that I was beginning to feel. Knowing what little I did about Edward's past prepared me for a story that did not involve kittens and rainbows.

"I don't know where to start." Edward looked at me plaintively. Suddenly my heart began to ache for him, for his lost childhood, for his lost parents. His wide eyes searched mine for the answer to how to start this conversation that was causing him so much pain. I felt like an awful human being. I was fundamentally commanding him to divulge memories that he had obviously fought to forget for so long.

Those stupid flowers had stirred something up in him that had long lain dormant.

"Start whenever you are ready." Tears glassed both of our eyes when I hugged into his side tighter, fingers bit into the flesh on my upper arm but I didn't care. He was holding on so tight and it made me feel safe.

"I've seen flowers like that before, that many, that arrangement, that exact type of rose." His voice was barely audible when he began. "At the funeral of my parent's."

"Edward, they must have triggered some awful memories for you, but they didn't mean anything." I felt his head shake above me, sucking in a deep breath he continued.

"They were exact Bella." This wasn't getting us any further forward.

"How did you parents die?" It was a blunt question, one that made him tense under me, but I had to know. It must have been an accident of some kind for them to have both died, leaving their only son behind.

"They didn't just die, Bella, they were murdered."

Shit.

I didn't even contemplate that.

"I'm sorry." My voice cracked and I found myself spilling quiet tears in rivers down my face. Not for myself, but for Edward and his pain. Fingers brushed against my cheeks to catch the falling tears. Sounds from outside filtered through one of the many opened windows lending the room a soothed atmosphere that clashed violently against the tension bubble surrounding us.

"My father was an accountant, in Chicago. It sounds so cliché to even throw organised criminals into the mix, but they were there. He didn't know what he was getting into, my father that is. He trusted so implicitly that when they told him they were just business men looking for someone to look after their books he took it at face value."

Again he paused, trying to remember the detail. He must have researched the demise of his parents, he couldn't have known this at the time. I prayed that he had been shielded from the detail during his formative years. After the silence I was jolted by the music that suddenly filled the room, that must have been the remote control he was playing with.

_I wish I were with you, I couldn't stay  
Every direction leads me away  
Pray for tomorrow, but for today  
All I want is to be home  
_

"He found some...inconsistencies...and reported them. What they did next was pure revenge. I don't know how they found out about it but they did. I was at school that day." Swallowing thickly he tried to continue, his chest heaving with the effort of getting enough air to combat the sickness he was patently feeling. My fingers worked quickly through his hair, across his scalp and down the side of his face to calm him and to reassure him that I was there by his side. That he wasn't alone.

"You don't have to finish." I mumbled at him, distraught that I had managed to get him this upset with a couple of questions and a flippant disregard of the flowers he so clearly wigged out about.

_Stand in the mirror, you look the same  
Just looking for shelter, from the cold and the pain  
Someone to cover, safe from the rain  
All I want is to be home_

"I was at school that day, we made oil and water art things, you know, where you have a tray of water and drip in oily paint? Put paper on top of it and pull it out and it's all swirls?" His voice took on a childish quality as he remembered the day that his world had imploded.

"I remember."

"Mom wasn't there to pick me up, which was odd. She always remembered to pick me up. So I walked home. It took forever. By the time I reached our street I was exhausted and couldn't wait to lie down on the couch with a glass of milk. I thought about how I could get Mom to make me some cookies because she would feel guilty." His voice cracked right there, when he remembered about how he was going to emotionally blackmail his mother into making him cookies.

_Echoes and silence, patience and grace  
All of these moments I'll never replace  
Fear of my heart, absence of faith  
All I want is to be home  
_

"That doesn't make you a bad person Edward." I soothed, pre-empting his thoughts.

"I walked into the house and there was nothing. Nothing moved, nothing made a sound. It's funny, Bella, when I think about it now it seems like everything was sepia tinted."

"Was it autumn?"

"It's always autumn when I think of them." His chest began to heave again. Glancing at his face I saw his eyes screwed shut, tears seeping out of the corners, trailing down his temples and wetting his hair.

"I can't take seeing you this upset, we should stop."

He ignored me.

"I called out for her, for him too. There was no answer. I walked into the kitchen and there was a puddle of something dark and sticky on the table, I thought she had just spilled something and not cleaned it up yet. That maybe she was upstairs changing out of a stained shirt, so I went upstairs."

He paused for another deep breath, little realising that it was creating a dramatic interlude. I was terrified about what he was going to say next.

_Please don't let him have found them._

_Please._

"They had put her in the bath." Sobs tore through his body now and my heart broke for him. Cradling him in my arms I rocked and soothed him as best I could. "It was full to the top with water, murky with her blood. Before I dreamt of you, Bella, all I ever dreamt was that."

Jesus.

"They had left him where they had killed him. On the bathroom floor. His empty eyes staring at the bath, at Mom."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing. I closed the door, because Mom hated it when someone interrupted her when she was in the bath, and sat outside, waiting for them to come out. I didn't understand that they wouldn't."

"Who found you?"

"The cleaner, in the morning. I had slept outside the bathroom all night, waiting to be woken by my dad's arms scooping me up to take me to bed, by my mom's kiss goodnight."

"Oh Edward." There was nothing better I could say. I was devoid of forming any kind of sentence, let alone one that might help start take his pain away. With a sniff and hard clearing of his throat he continued. I wasn't sure I could take anymore, but I had to be strong for him just like he was for me.

_All I want is to be home _

People I've loved, I have no regrets  
Some I remember, some I forget  
Some of them living, some of them dead  
All I want is to be home

"The police couldn't find anything to link their deaths with that family but everyone knew who had done it, it fit their MO apparently. At the funeral there was a bouquet of flowers on their coffins, both with cards expressing their condolences and how they would help catch whoever did it in whatever way possible." His voice became hard and bitter with the memory, the disgust evident in his sudden change of demeanour.

Flowers.

"What kind of flowers were they Edward?" I knew the answer before he managed to vocalise it, it would be the only explanation for his absolute hatred of them.

"Roses, Bella, a big fucking bouquet of blood red roses."

"I'm sorry. For everything, for your pain and for being flippant about your feelings regarding the roses."

"I'm not looking for an apology; I just wanted you to understand."

"Edward?"

"Bella?" His eyes locked on mine, salty water still misting the beautiful alive green orbs. Feelings rushed through me suddenly unwilling to be contained anymore, before I could even think my lips and tongue began forming the words as I finally surrendered to the inevitable.

"I love you."

**A/N: Liked it? Review it!...or not...it's up to you. **

**With any luck you all enjoyed this one...and it's way longer than the last one....it took longer to write than any other chapter...finished it about 2 hours ago and forced my friend to read it over before posting it....my friends are awesome.**

**As are all of you who read this, review it, love it and add it to alerts and the likes. **

**Any questions feel free to PM me.**

**The song is by the fabulous Foo Fighters and is called Home.**

**Oh and I put some links up to random stuff on my profile...cars and the songs used in previous chapters. **

**Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.**


	26. Games

**Disclaimer: I don't own twilight or the associated blah blah blah....I own a pair of the funkiest tweed and pink DCs. **

**Games**

**EPOV**

For some reason saying those three beautiful fucking words to me cause Bella to start hyperventilating. It's enough to make a man paranoid. Eyes widened in panic, both hers and mine, as her chest heaved in a feeble attempt to bring air into her lungs.

Usually the sight of her perfectly formed chest heaving caused major tightness in my underwear, this time however it caused major tightness in my brain. You would think I was the one with an oxygen deprivation.

Fuck.

"Breathe Bella, just breathe."

My hands stroked across her back as I told her that as calmly as I could manage, eyes flicking wildly across the room to find something to help her.

A bag...I need a fucking bag...why did I tidy my room?!

"Dizzy." Gasping out the words she kept curling her hands and fingers into fists before relaxing them again. In a second I was pushing a button on the intercom and my panicked scream echoed through the house.

"Carlisle!"

I was in serious danger of needing a bag myself.

Carlisle had taught Emmett and me a lot during out years of being his sons but being around Bella I forgot every little bit of information. When that stupid van had careened out of control and she fainted in my arms I didn't even check her for a pulse. The most basic of medical moves and I didn't even remember.

Handy in a crisis I am not.

Footsteps thudded up the stairs and through the hallway. Carlisle slammed into the room, I watched as understanding dawned in his eyes.

"Tingles." Bella blurted, shaking her hands at us, confusing the shit out of me but not phasing Carlisle. Emmett appeared behind him with concern etched across his face.

"My office." Carlisle ran down the hall, expecting us to follow. Emmett made a move to scoop Bella into his arms but I pushed him away before lifting her up and running us down to the office. Emmett was only a step behind me on the stairs; Esme met us on the landing and fell into step with us.

Blood was roaring in my ears, my heartbeat going faster than is humanly possible.

Depositing Bella on the leather examination table in Carlisle's office I took a step back and watched with horror as she continued to struggle to regulate her breathing. My look of horror was mirrored on her flushed face, but I had an inkling that it was more to do with embarrassment than anything else.

Carlisle handed Bella a bag and murmured soothing words to her, I found myself walking over and stroking my fingers down her arm as she gazed up at my and listened to Carlisle's practiced doctors voice.

"Breathe love, just breathe for me." I whispered down at her and she nodded the cutest little nod that made my mouth quirk into a stupid grin.

It took her a good five minutes of breathing into a paper bag and being stared at like an animal in the zoo before her breathing regulated.

"I'm sorry." Were the first words she mumbled at us all when she was able, making me snort out a laugh that started deep within me from relief causing several people in the room to jump.

"Relax Bella, just focus on breathing, and don't talk for a while." Carlisle told her before looking away when I leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"You certainly know how to make my heart stop don't you." This elicited a smirk from her pouting lips.

"What the hell just happened here? Is Bella alright?" Emmett chose that moment to start his quest for answers.

"Don't say hell Emmett." Esme admonished without enthusiasm because she wanted to know too.

"It looks like a case of hyperventilation."

"Just how much money did you spend on your education again Carlisle?" I joked with only the slightest hint of belligerence to which he rolled his eyes.

"It isn't serious; I'm assuming this isn't a recurring problem Bella?" She shook her head in response, still following his orders to stay quiet and concentrate on breathing. "It's usually associated with panic attacks or anxiety of some sort."

Anxiety? Panic attack? Did I cause this by telling her about my parents?

"So she'll be ok?" Esme asked, looking at Bella with a tender smile.

"Yes, once her carbon dioxide levels correct themselves she'll be fine."

"I should take Bella home. I'll just have a quick cup of coffee and call you when I'm ready." Esme informed me with a little nod of her head. They filed out of the room quietly except for Emmett who bounded over and crushed Bella to him in a quick tight hug before leaving.

I'm sure that helped her breathing problem immensely.

"I'm so embarrassed." She finally spoke when she thought Carlisle was far enough away.

"I was so worried."

"I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. My fingers started to tingle and I got really dizzy. Next thing you know I'm hyperventilating. Mortifying."

"If I knew I had that kind of effect on you I would've toned it down a bit." I sniggered at her expression.

"I don't want to go home yet; we have so much to talk about still." Choosing to ignore my previous comment she leaned her body into mine, her head resting on my shoulder.

"I'll pick you up in the morning." Taking the chance whilst I still had it, my fingers trailed across her jaw to tip her face up to mine so I could kiss her without any of my family watching.

Once again I had to pull away first. I wasn't going to take the risk of her hyperventilating again.

Not tonight anyway.

"Again with the pulling away." She huffed at me.

"I love you, is that not enough for tonight?" Her eyes narrowed at me before she broke into a huge beaming smile that dazzled the shit out of me.

"For tonight, I guess it'll have to be. I'd better go."

I walked her through the house to the front door, my hand never letting go of her own. Carlisle and Emmett said goodbye and I stood hugging her tightly to me, rocking us slightly. Unwilling to let her go.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Again she almost blinded me with the overwhelming warmth from her smile before breaking my grip on her and walking away. Only a few steps away she spun back round to me. "Oh, and Edward?"

"Bella?"

"I love you too."

My smile almost broke my face.

**BPOV**

Esme waited for me in yet another Cullen car. This family had far too many cars. Had they never heard of global warming? They were probably responsible for the hole in the ozone layer all by themselves. Sliding into the seat across the leather I braced myself, expecting a grilling that did not materialise.

Edward's words were still storming through my mind. His pain and absolute vulnerability when he told me those things were still digging into my heart, making me physically feel his pain. This is the definition of empathy.

I can't say I care for it.

Whilst Esme didn't drive quite as fast as either of her sons she still managed to drop me home in record time. With a warm smile and a wave she drove back in the direction of the Cullen mansion. I stood in the drive for a while before I went into the house. Thinking about Edward's past, about our future and about how I was still just fucking mortified about having needed medical assistance because I had told him I loved him.

Eventually Charlie looked out the window and saw me loitering beside my truck. Frowning he came to the door and opened it.

"What are you doing Bells?"

"Thinking."

"You maybe want to do that somewhere you won't get pneumonia?"

"I see your point." Suddenly I felt the cold and shivered.

"Dr Cullen called me." Charlie told me when I closed the door behind me.

"Oh, right, I'm fine Dad, honestly."

"Said that you'd had some sort of panic attack?" His words came out as a question, encouraging me to tell him more.

"It was just hyperventilating, nothing to worry about." Walking over to the fridge I looked back at him to give a reassuring smile.

"I worry about you Bella. It can't be much fun looking after your old Dad. Forks isn't exactly a bustling metropolis either."

"Don't confuse me with Alice." I laughed and pulled a bottle of water from the fridge. "I don't need much Dad, I'm happy."

He stared at me for a moment before continuing.

"Edward Cullen then?"

"Um, yeah." Sighing I admitted it. There was no point in keeping it from Charlie anymore.

"Isn't he older?"

"He's in my biology class."

"Hmph, I'm not sure I like it Bells. He drives like a maniac."

"He saved my life." That silenced him. His face was an interesting shade of blue as his mind strained to find any valid reason to forbid me from seeing him.

"Fine."

* * *

Sleep was something I didn't want to do but I had bid Charlie a good night, gone through the motions and disappeared up to my room. That was hours ago. Lying on my bed I stared up at the ceiling, counting the hairline cracks in the plaster but not really paying attention. My mind was, as always it seemed now, on Edward.

We hadn't had a chance to properly finish our conversation. There was so much I still wanted to know about his childhood. There was still so much he had to know about me.

But most of all I wanted to know if he thought that the flowers could have logically been from someone who had murdered his parents.

It was impossible surely.

Forks felt like the safest place in the world. My father is the police chief. Edward Cullen is my boyfriend. Alice Brandon and Jasper Hale were my best friends. Emmett Cullen had suddenly become like a big brother to me.

I am safe and I am loved.

There was a gentle tapping at my window, my head shot up making me wrench my neck and shout out in pain. Green eyes looking at me through the window widened in surprise.

"Bella, are you ok?" Charlie knocked on my bedroom door.

"Fine Dad, just pulled my neck." Walking over to the window I replied, trying to prevent him coming in the room and finding Edward hovering outside my window.

"Ok, well I'm going to bed. See you in the morning."

"G'night Dad."

After opening the window Edward climbed into the room with a surprisingly athletic and graceful fluid movement. One that I would never be able to pull off even with years of training.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered at him.

"I missed you." He shrugged at me like it was the most natural thing in the world for him to climb the tree outside my window and climb into my room.

"You've done that before." I accused, remembering the morning I woke up to a closed window and a heart stamped into snow.

"Maybe."

"Stalker."

"Is it my fault you're just so damn alluring?" Hands snaked around my waist, lips pushed against my neck and I gasped out in pain. "You really hurt your neck. I didn't mean to scare you."

Leading me over to my bed he gently pushed me down onto it and knelt behind me. His fingers began to knead into the muscles in my neck, relaxing me instantly and relieving the pain after a few minutes. Not that I wanted to admit that to him. I didn't want him to stop anytime soon.

Soon we could hear Charlie snoring across the hall.

"Thank god you don't snore when you sleep. I much prefer the talking." I nuzzled into his neck after he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled us down onto the bed. He smelled like soap and quintessential Edward.

"You pout when you sleep."

"I pout?"

"Yup, like a supermodel. You suck your cheeks in too." I laughed. "I wouldn't be surprised if you started Vogue-ing at some point." I snorted at the mental image.

My snort of laughter made his eyes narrow; I was a second behind his thought process. Before I could react to what I suddenly knew he was going to do he had me flipped over and he was crouching over me, pinning my hands above my hand.

"I would never Vogue in my sleep." He punctuated each word with a kiss to any area of exposed skin he could reach whilst trying to keep the outraged tone in his voice.

"I'll just have to take your word on it and bide my time." I giggled. "I'll catch you at it eventually." He released my hands before lifting the hem of my pyjama top and thrusting his head up it making me squeal loudly with laughter.

Charlie's snores stuttered and stopped. His feet hit the floor, heading towards my room. Edward's head withdrew from my top, with a quick kiss on the mouth he bolted for the closet just before Charlie opened the door.

"Bella?"

"Yes?" I subtly tried to adjust my top. His eyes flicked across the room with suspicion.

"I thought I heard voices."

"I was on the phone to Alice, sorry for being loud, I didn't mean to wake you." I wasn't an adept liar, but with any luck he would buy the Alice excuse.

"Keep it down next time? G'nite Bells."

Edward's grinning face peaked out from behind the closet door. His grin had the most amazing lopsided appeal, it lit up his entire face and made his eyes shine. I sighed with the happiness of seeing it.

I'm truly beginning to wonder about my mental faculties now that Edward is in my life. A month ago I would have been my usual cynical self about love. A month ago I would have supposed that a person could not be in love after knowing a person for two weeks. But the dreams made me feel like I had known Edward for months. Slowly I had fallen in love with the man in my dreams, as tragic as it seems. And now that he was real, in my life, in my room and stalking back over to the bed where I lay it was like I wouldn't ever need anything else.

"I'm only coming back over there if you can promise to be quiet." He warned whilst circling the bed like a predator.

"I'm making no promises Cullen. Guess you'll just have to keep on circling." Faking a yawn I tried to hide my smirk. He hates it when I call him Cullen, the sexy little growl that just escaped his throat could testify to that.

"I'll just go home then. That's probably best. I don't want your father to come at me with a shotgun."

So that's how this is going to be?

Two can play at that game.

"You're right." I told him, revelling in his quickly erased frown. I stretched my arms up and away from my body with another fake yawn, making sure my vest rode up across my stomach.

Ah, there it is. His eyes darkened when they took in my stretched body, roaming across my stomach and up across my breasts. I could feel the heat from his gaze.

"You really are the deviant of this relationship." He growled at me, still not moving either towards me or the window.

Dammit, he was right. Every chance I got I tried to get into his underwear. Could I be blamed for that? I'd never seen a man look so goddamn do-able. From the top of his beautiful bronze hair to the ends of his masculine feet and everything in between. Not least his transcendental eyes and the yummy trail of hair that leads down into his jeans.

I sighed. With frustrated lust and realisation. I had been objectifying him. Next time he was going to have to initiate any sort of naughty touching.

Defeated I look up at him.

"Aren't I? Come here and give me a hug."

"A hug?"

"I promise to behave. Besides, if we try anything Charlie will definitely hear me."

With two steps he was back in my bed, he launched himself down onto it bouncing a couple of times before finally stilling.

"Yeah, your Dad would definitely hear the springs on your bed as I nailed you." He snorted at me.

"Nailed?!"

"You would prefer screwed? Fucked? Doinked? Shagged? Boned? Getting known in a biblical sense? I could go on..."

"I'd really prefer you didn't." I laughed. "Not had many girlfriends before have you? Not really had time to practice romantic seduction conversation."

"No need when you look as good as this." He waved his hand down his body.

"Oh my god." I snorted. "Go home Edward." My hand made contact with his hip and I made to shove him off the bed but he refused to leave. Thankfully. His body shook with laughter at my faux outrage. Instead of getting off the bed he bundled me into his arms, holding me flush against him, our noses touching. Our lips touched lightly, each of us expelling a deep breath of frustration at not being able to take this any further tonight.

"Go to sleep Bella, I like when you fall asleep in my arms. You look so beautiful. Like Raphael himself has created you just for me." He dropped kisses across my face before stroking his hand through my hair.

How did I get so lucky?

"I love you Edward."

I felt his smile through my hair before the thick blackness of dreamless sleep overwhelmed me.

**EPOV**

I left Bella sleeping in her bed when I heard her Dad's snores begin to stutter at around six o'clock. I jogged down to where I had parked my car and headed back to my place to pretend I'd been there all night. Emmett had agreed to cover for me if either Carlisle or Esme asked where I was. I don't know what he would have told them but Emmett is the king of thinking on his feet.

Watching Bella sleep, as creepy as it sounds, is one of the things I liked to do the most. The way her eyelids flutter when she goes into the REM stage of sleep, the way her lips pout out at an unseen recipient, the little mumbles of conversation that would tumble uncensored from her mouth. Sometimes her hand would work its way up into my hair and fist through it.

That bit was the best.

Before leaving I checked her truck for an unwanted bouquet of roses. I hadn't voiced my suspicions about who I thought had left them because it was insane. There was a pretty dormant part of me that was a paranoid individual and slowly this annoying peace shattering fucker was stepping out from the shadows. How could it logically have been from the people who killed my parents?

They are still out there. Living their lives, everyday waking up and going through the motions. They get to call their parents, play with their kids. Then they have somebody's parents killed. Have their world shattered and ripped apart until even the shards aren't worth saving. Why would they wait until I was just 7 months away from turning 18 to start truly fucking with me?

It's highly unlikely.

I shook the niggling shiver of dread away from me and pulled up to the house as quietly as I could. Carlisle stood on the porch waiting; he held two cups of coffee in his hands and looked like he hadn't been waiting long. Sometimes I think he isn't even human the way he pre-empts my actions.

"Good morning Edward." I took the cup he was proffering when I reached the porch, my gaze tracking his own as he stared out through the trees surrounding the house.

"Morning."

"Up early?"

"I went jogging." I replied, managing to make him almost spit his coffee out with laughter.

"You should maybe work on your alibi before you attempt this again. I take it you were at Bella's?"

"Yeah."

"She is a very lovely girl Edward." For some reason I bristled at him calling her a girl. Bella was a woman in my eyes. "Esme is quite taken with her. We are both impressed with the effect that she is having on you." He quickly glanced at me before taking another sip of coffee.

"Yeah." I mumbled, unsure where this is going.

"How much have you told her, about your past?"

"Almost everything." At that he openly stared at me. It had taken me years to open up to them about that day I went home to find my world in tatters, yet Bella had gotten it out of me in an exponentially shorter amount of time. "The therapy must have worked." They had paid for me to go to therapy in every place we had been in up until last year when I just stopped going. There was nothing else to be found out. I had gone through a horrendous thing, talked about it and finally managed to feel better about myself.

The only thing they hadn't been able to stop was the dreams, and for some masochistic reason I had never wanted them to stop. To me they were the one thing that still connected me to my parents, no matter how horrific they may have been. After years they had faded to nothing but the memory of the murky bathwater my mother had been found in. I no longer awoke screaming in the night. Mostly I could get through the night without much disturbance.

"Yes. You must love her very much to have opened up to her like that."

Maybe I should tell Carlisle about the dreams? He would maybe have a medical explanation for them.

Highly doubtful.

"I do." This was getting uncomfortable. I hated talking about my feelings to myself let alone someone else.

"Edward, I'm not going to stop you from leaving the house and going to Bella at night. You are almost an adult and I have the utmost faith in your ability to make the right decisions. But Esme would panic, you know how protective she gets about yourself and Emmett."

"My plan was that neither of you would know." I told him honestly. "I don't plan on telling Esme."

"Neither do I." Carlisle concluded the conversation and walked back into the house.

That wasn't how I expected this conversation to go down. I was vaguely expecting a half hearted attempt at being grounded. Not that it would happen, the Cullen's weren't the grounding type. More the "I'll tell you exactly why I'm disappointed in you and don't expect it to happen again" types.

I got pretty lucky when they found me.

* * *

Charlie takes fucking ages to leave the house. I drove past eleven times before the cruiser was absent. Emmett huffed in the car beside me until I relented and parked down the street for five minutes before making the circuit again.

"Dude, I'm getting car sick. Just man up and knock on the door."

"I don't want to."

"You don't want to? I worry about you sometimes. Park in the drive and I'll fucking do it."

"No way." I picked up speed on the way past the house so that he couldn't commando roll out of the car. I wouldn't put it past him.

"You'll risk getting shot by the Police chief for climbing into his daughter's bedroom whilst he slept but you refuse to knock on the door like a normal person?"

"Correct." I nodded.

"Jasper and I are going to need to talk to you about this."

"About what?"

"About the time in every young man's life when they grow balls."

"Dick."

"Yes, they grow that too." He guffawed.

* * *

Biology.

My favourite class.

Bella kept throwing me furtive glances as she pretended to listen to teacher. Well, she most probably _was_ listening. It was I who was pretending, distracted by her hair, her face, her arm, her wrist, her fingers wrapped around her pen. Basically everything.

I had told her last night that she was the deviant out of our coupling but that was just a lie. I wanted to be sure she didn't think that I thought by having the dreams we shared that I expected Cart Blanche access to her most personal of areas. In reality I wanted to be making the sex with her pretty much constantly, the way her skin flushed was exquisite.

Mr Banner pulled out some AV equipment and dimmed the lights. Perfect. Now I could blatantly ignore the learning and focus entirely on the most perfect profile. She slid a piece of paper over to me without glancing away from the screen.

_Stop staring at me._

_I can't help it._

_Try. You are distracting me from my education._

_My mind keeps wandering to how flushed the skin behind your ear gets when I kiss it._

_Now who's the deviant?_

She smirked at me, finally losing the internal battle and looking at me out of the corner of her eye. Her left hand stretched out and settled on my thigh, my own caressed the top. How does she get her skin so touchable? I didn't get long to think over an answer to my own question before I felt Bella's hand begin a smooth, slow and teasing ascent towards my crotch.

_In biology?!_

I almost threw the piece of paper back at her. Responding with a shrug she continued to move her hand up until it rested directly on top of me. Her smirk widened when she realised I was swelling under her touch.

I had adamantly refused to be one of the teenage boys who needed a folder to cover his erection. Yet she was causing it to be true. Class was going to be over in five minutes. She knew exactly what she was doing. I ripped the paper back to my pen.

_Stop it. _

_Don't you want me? _Her smirk grew, letting me know she wasn't being serious.

_Always._

_Charlie won't be home tonight._

_Why not? _I frowned. Irrationally I really didn't want Bella to be alone in her house, no matter how safe she thinks she is.

_He said work._

_I'll be there._

She was definitely not being left alone. Her hand immediately left my groin and set gently on the lab table.

* * *

It was Jaspers turn to grab us all lunch. When I had first started it seemed like the oddest thing to me, that they took turns in getting lunch for everyone at the table. Now it seemed like the most natural thing in the world. I don't know how the tradition started but I liked it. Though they didn't take into account the fact that Emmett could eat his own body weigh in sandwiches. The piles of food on the tray were getting bigger and bigger.

Bella sat leaning into my side with my arm slung around her like it was something we did every day. People were still not over the fascination of us as a couple. Not that I could blame them, it had only been a few days and I was only just getting used to the brilliance of it myself. I snatched a couple of sandwiches from the tray for Bella and me before Emmett could claim them all.

"Charlie is working tonight guys." Bella informed the table. What is she doing? I wanted her alone tonight, just her and me and a fuckload of touching.

"Cool." Jasper threw me a quick glance, picking up on my reaction to her announcement.

"What time do you want us there?" Alice asked between bites of her blood red apple.

"Um...we have that thing tonight baby. That thing with...um...you know." Jasper tried to divert Alice's attention and clue her in to my plans but failed miserably because there wasn't a devious bone in his honest body.

"What are you talking about?" She looked perplexed.

"Eight would be good." Bella replied, rolling her eyes at Jasper, knowing exactly what he was doing. "Emmett, you in?"

"In for what? I know what you crazy juniors get up to when your parents are away. It's wild parties and fisticuffs in the entertainment room."

"I think you are mistaking me with you." Bella laughed. "It's just a games night; we do it when Charlie works nights. I promise you won't be kept late and Jasper will make sure you get home safely."

"What about Edward?"

"Um...he has to make sure I'm safe." She smiled up at me, Emmett made a gagging noise, I hit him hard on his solid upper arm and my hand went numb.

Man was made of fricking concrete.

"Fine." He narrowed his eyes at Bella. "But if you lead me astray I'm telling my mom."

**BPOV**

Games night was a routine we had fallen into when Charlie had to work nights. I went through a phase of hating being in the house alone so Alice and Jasper concocted a games night to distract me with. We would play cards, board games, anything to make us laugh and have a good time. We could play snap for hours and never get bored of it because of the company.

Jasper almost always won.

The reflexes on that boy are out of this world.

Charlie and I sat in a comfortable silence when we ate dinner across from each other. I could see him contemplating starting to say something, which I guessed had something to do with Edward, but he never actually managed to vocalise his thoughts. He knew I would throw the fact that Edward saved me from Tyler's van back at him like I had last night.

"Why do you have to work tonight when you worked all day?"

"I can't really talk about work, you know that Bella, but it's nothing to worry about."

That was his standard response. I didn't know if there was a proper rule about that sort of thing within the police force, but Charlie was always reluctant to tell me about the crime he found himself immersed in on a daily basis. He always told me there was nothing to fret about, but worry about him I always did.

Even if he was a postman I would worry about him.

The fact that he had a gun both added to and lessened my worry in equal measures.

There was a knock on the door, Charlie went to answer and I piled the dishes into the sink. I was up to my elbows in bubbles when Edward walked into the kitchen behind Charlie; he was dressed in jeans and a faded Ramones t-shirt.

"You look like Jasper." Was my greeting, making him look down at his top with a frown.

"Well, he is my hero after all." He grinned across at me, careful to keep his distance whilst Charlie was still in the house. Internally I chuckled at how blatantly anxious he was.

"I would introduce you, but you've already met."

"Yes, usually when I'm ticketing you." Grumbled Charlie, making me let loose a nervous giggle.

"Sorry about that." Edward mumbled, looking like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole.

Charlie crossed the room and pulled out his gun, leaving me staring at him open mouthed. What is he doing?

"I'm going to work now." He looked from me, to Edward and back again. "You said Alice would be here."

"She's on her way Dad, so is Jasper."

"Emmett should be here soon too sir."

"Your brother?" Edward nodded and Charlie seemed placated for the time being. He walked over to me, giving me a quick pat on the head and whispering in my ear, making me shake with barely controlled laughter.

Edward stared at me as we listened to the sounds of Charlie leaving the house, getting in the cruiser, pulling out of the drive and driving away. When we could no longer hear the retreating engine he appeared at my side pulling me away from the sink and planting a hot, wet kiss on my mouth.

"What did he say to you before he left?"

"He told me he put mace in the cupboard and a gun was in his room." I snorted.

"He thinks I'm some sort of sex pest?"

"He thinks all teenage boys are, except Jasper. But that's only because if he thought about Alice and Jasper getting it on his head would explode." His laugh was sexier than his lopsided grin, it sounds like it starts in his toes, travelling up his body making it shake with amusement before escaping through his vocal chords.

"I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of him that's for sure. Or you, now that you know where a gun is. We both know you'd end up shooting yourself." He grinned, planting his hands on my ass and lifting me up to sit on the bunker, my legs wrapped around his waist and I couldn't bring myself to be outraged by his statement.

"That's very true."

"I wish you hadn't invited everyone else round." Hair brushed across my cheek when he gently pushed my head to the side so that he could place his lips on my neck. Little kisses set my skin ablaze, he worked his lips up to the back of my ear before he pulled back a little. "Extraordinary."

"It's tradition."

"You knew you were going to ask them when you were teasing me in biology didn't you?" His hands worked their way under the hem of my shirt, idly moving across the skin to make me shiver in his arms.

"Yes." I gasped out when his mouth swooped down onto my collar bone, letting my head fall back I fisted my hands into his hair, giving it a tug to bring his mouth up to mine. Sucking on my bottom lip his tongue slowly swept across it before he pressed it into my mouth.

"You know what they say though, don't you?" His words were punctuated with the kisses, licks and sucks he administered on his way down to the neckline of my shirt. His hands worked back down, sliding into my jeans and cupping my ass, pushing me into him, making me aware of just how aroused he was. The thick rod encased in his jeans pushed against the fire in my own groin making me moan against his neck.

"What' do they say?" I finally asked him, alternating between kissing along his beautiful jaw and grazing his earlobe with my teeth. Pushing me gently backwards he lifted my shirt and kissed along my stomach, making the pooling of warmth within me into a bona fide lake.

Just as his fingers were at the button on my jeans he looked up at me with a wicked glint in his eyes.

"Revenge is sweet." Smiling widely, he stepped back and sat on one of the kitchen chairs just as the Alice opened the front door and shouted a greeting.

"Bastard!" I hissed at him, quickly straightening my clothes and leaping off the countertop.

Alice hugged me tightly when she walked into the room, Jasper not so tightly but with no less affection. They both looked at me with quirked eyebrows, taking in the mussed up hair, flushed face, heavy breathing. And the unbuttoned jeans. Edward managed that in a stealth attack it would appear.

"You look...um...a bit hot and bothered." Snickered Jasper.

"That's one word for it." Glowering at Edward I wrenched the front door open for Emmett, surprised to find Rosalie with him. They both took a step back when they saw the look on my face.

"Sorry, come in." Gesturing towards the kitchen I let them in. I followed them through to the kitchen where Alice was already sifting through the assembled board games and cards sitting there.

"Ready?" She asked with a smile.

Edward and I locked eyes. He smirked and I saw red.

"Let the games commence."

**EPOV**

Damn Bella is evil when it comes down to getting revenge. After my little stunt in the kitchen I figured we were equal. I wasn't looking to score any more points anyway. That is until her unshod foot took up resident on my crotch when we were playing a hand of cards. The arch of her foot sat neatly along the shaft of my dick, slowly but firmly stroking along the length. I'm not a blusher but I'm pretty sure the remaining blood in my body shot straight to my face because the devilish little smile I wanted to kiss of her face took on an air of victory.

We played games, both literally and metaphorically for hours. All the time I was hoping that one of the others would yawn and make moves to leave. I was sending Emmett telepathic commands all through the round of 21 we played. There wasn't much else I could do except throw the pennies we were betting with at the dense skull that surrounded his unreceptive brain.

All the while her fucking foot was stroking and pushing against my ever growing hard on. She was giving me a foot job and I was powerless to stop her. My hand dove under the table and gripped her ankle to stop the motion, but the traitorous little fucker just started moving her foot more firmly against me whilst it stroked up her smooth leg as far as it could go. I couldn't stand up, it was obvious, I'd take Jasper's eye out when I turned round to leave and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't thank me for that.

I kicked off my shoe and set my foot on her chair between her legs, not moving it. Sporadically I would stretch and pretend yawn, pressing the flat of my foot right into her crotch, making her jump and drop her cards.

"If you put your arm around me I won't be responsible for what Alice does to you Edward." Jasper intoned sardonically when I stretched and yawned for the fifth time, picking up on the energy sparking between Bella and me and trying to diffuse it with humour.

As suddenly as she started she withdrew her foot and yawned. It was nearing ten o'clock. I hoped to god she wasn't actually tired. The things my body was aching to do to her couldn't take another shutdown. Jasper picked up on it first.

"We should probably be heading home guys." Alice looked at him with a little pout, he answered it with an inclined head and she suddenly understood, a dawning realisation appearing on her spritely face.

"You're right." She acquiesced. Prising Rosalie from Emmett's embrace and yanking Emmett to his feet in an impressive display of strength, considering he had to have about a 180 pound muscle advantage, she made quick work of getting everybody out of the house.

Bella stood at the door waving everybody off as I cleared up the debris of her games night. When she first mentioned it I thought it was going to be completely lame, but she was right, it's to do with the company and not actual games played. Hell, we could have played Monopoly and had a great time.

I was waiting in the hall for her when she closed the door, as soon as it clicked shut I had her pinned up against it with my body. Limbs, teeth and lips moved in a flurry of want and need. She met every touch I placed on her body with one of her own. My teeth grazed across her neck above the carotid artery followed by my tongue. One hand dove down the front of jeans, feeling her through her damp underwear, feeling just how eager for this she was.

"Edward." She groaned, making my name sound sexual and like it contained about forty syllables as she elongated it in one long breathe, pushing her hips against my hand. Her fingers tore through the material of the Ramones shirt I was wearing in a desperate manoeuvre to remove it from my body.

Shit.

Jasper definitely wasn't getting this one back.

I pulled my hand out of her jeans as she sank to her knees in front of me, her fingers magically making quick work of the belt I wore and the buttons on my jeans. In a rough motion she pulled them down into a pool at my ankles, looking up at me through her lustrously thick eyelashes she licked her lips and I groaned her name. Fingers hooked into the waist of my tight boxers, pulling them down to join my jeans and freeing my throbbing dick.

It had been begging for this release all day.

Bracing myself against the door with my hands her fingers and tongue went to work. Swirling across the head, stroking up my length, kissing the tip, taking me inch by inch into her wet tight mouth.

Jesus.

I've never believed in heaven, but if it exists I want Bella there.

Doing this.

Hourly.

My hips started thrusting of their own accord, the primal need overtaking any remaining brain function. Fingers dug into my ass, guiding me in my initial movements before just curling onto my hips. Her moans vibrated through me, making me groan her name over and over in time to my thrusts into her mouth. I could feel myself hitting the back of her throat, feel it closing around the head.

"Bella, I'm going to..." But like before she didn't pull away, didn't duck out of the way of the fast stream of liquid bursting forth from me. She moaned my name and my twitching release went down her throat.

Shaking from the force of climax one hand left the securing position on the door, making its way down to her head, stroking down through her hair before clasping her elbow and pulling her up.

"You're amazing." I mumbled at her between kisses. She grinned against my mouth, returning my kiss.

"Your turn." Giggling she skipped past me, patting me on the ass and making for the stairs. I kicked off the fabric pooling around my feet, picking it up lest Charlie return home and find my jeans abandoned by the front door. I caught her half way up the stairs, picking her up around the waist making her squeal and laugh with surprise and happiness.

Christ I love this girl.

I threw her over my shoulder, hurrying us both up to her room. Ignoring her fake protests and gentle thwacks on my back I kicked open the door fully ready to throw her down onto the bed and devour every last piece of her.

Until I realised there wasn't any room left on the bed.

Thanks to the blanket of single stem roses in every colour of the motherfucking rainbow.

"What. The. Fuck. Is. Going. On. Here?!"

**A/N: And here be the end of another chapter peeps. **

**With any luck you enjoyed it...if you did leave me a little review...I love reviews more than my new DCs....maybe. **

**Questions can be directed to me via PM...am happy to converse.**

**Till next time!**

**Ciao. **


	27. Go To Hell

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or anything to do with it....I own coconut moisturiser that sometimes I'm tempted to eat.**

**Go To Hell**

**EPOV**

Bella winced when the words tore through my vocal chords. She staggered back against the wall as if she had been pushed back by my fury. Everything disappeared; the only thing I could see was the bed taunting me with its innocence in this fucking charade. Anger rushed through my veins, pushing the blood through my body with a violent energy.

Vaguely aware that Bella was talking I spun my head back to find her on the phone. A deep growl built within me, fuelled by frustration and incandescent rage.

Someone had been in Bella's room.

On her bed.

Red clouded my vision and I launched myself onto it.

Resolutely focussed on my mission.

My mission to just fucking _destroy_ every last bloom that lay on her bed.

Her bed!

My fingers dove and crushed and pinched and obliterated everything they touched.

My body vibrated with every movement.

Words and noises escaped my mouth.

I could have recited all of Shakespeare's Sonnets and not been aware of it.

Occasionally my gaze would fall on Bella's face as my fingers worked to annihilate everything. The logical part of my brain was telling me to go to her. To sweep her out of the room and take her somewhere she would be safe, somewhere that was impenetrable. The other part of me was too consumed by rage to care. Blood was dripping from my hands onto the bed after being shredded by the thorns still on the roses.

Did this fucker have no class? Everyone knows you strip the thorns before you give them to a lady.

This enraged me more and I was on my feet, my fingers digging under the mattress before flipping it right off the base of the bed. I was unhinged.

I wanted to protect Bella.

I wanted to find whoever did this.

I wanted to hurt him.

I'd never wanted anything more.

Rage poured out of me and without my realising it tears had begun to freely roam down my face.

I cried for my inability to detect a hint of something wrong.

I cried for my lack of control.

I cried for being unable to protect the people I loved most in this world.

I cried for my lost childhood.

I cried for my Dad.

I cried for my Mom.

I cried for everything.

I didn't even cry this much at the funeral. With every tear my body lost an iota of tension. Bella's bed was at the point of no repair, my diving fingers and kicking feet making quick work of its destruction.

I was aware of movement milliseconds before I felt strong arms restraining me, railing against them my demon voiced counterpart cried out and kicked out simultaneously. Blonde hair flashed before my eyes as I was wrestled to the ground. My fists flew out and made contact with flesh and bone. Arms and legs fought to still me until in a large rush of expelled air the fight left me, leaving me limp on the floor.

Bella's hands were on my face seconds after, stroking at the damp skin, trailing along my cheekbones and down to my jaw, gripping me tightly and forcing me to look into her eyes. The shame that rushed through me at my reaction caused me to close my eyes, refusing to meet her gaze.

"Look at me." She commanded, leaving no room for disobedience. Finally my eyes opened and were met by her unflinching stare. "Are you finished? Can Jasper let you go?" I nodded weakly.

"Thank fuck for that. Get some underwear on him Bella and meet us downstairs." Jasper snorted, removing his vice like grip from my body and standing up. "Oh, and you can keep the shirt Edward."

My face just fucking _burned_ with embarrassment.

In the overwhelming whirligig of emotions I had forgotten I was naked from the waist down.

Bella scrambled across the room on her hands and knees to find my jeans before tossing them over to me. She watched as I yanked them on and pulled myself upright. Her teeth were biting down hard on her bottom lip, eyes wide and filmed by fear. Fear of what I couldn't decide. At my schizophrenic destruction of her room or the fact that some asshat had been in her room I couldn't tell.

"Are you ok?" My throat was ragged from whatever shitty things I had been screaming out in my state of idiotism.

"I think I would have coped, but then you Hulked out and I freaked."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's not me you have to apologise to."

"I know, poor Jasper."

"Screw Jasper_, look at my bed!_"

"Ah, shit."

Look at her bed I did, in a spectacular display of moronic arseholeness I had managed to demolish it. The base was splintered in an abundance of places, the mattress ripped with covers and destroyed flowers tossed over it. If I submitted it to an art gallery the whole scene would win a prize. I closed my eyes again, allowing the guilt and humiliation to shiver through me.

Bella stopped in front of me. Softly she placed her hand over my chest, feeling the beat of my heart. Her head cocked to the side, taking my hand she placed it over her own heart. We stood like this for minutes, until our hearts were beating in unison.

"Better?" Smiling softly she maintained eye contact.

"You make me better, always." Our lips touched briefly before she tugged on my hand.

"Come on, we have people we need to talk to."

Confused didn't cover it. What would Jasper have to say about this that would shed any light on the situation? We hurried down the stairs to find Jasper and Alice at the kitchen table. Jasper had a bag of something frozen against his jaw being held in place by Alice's tiny hands, and wouldn't meet my eye. Shit, he must be really pissed.

"Glad to see you managed to put pants on."

"I'm so sorry. I couldn't do anything but..." What was it I had been doing exactly? I couldn't explain it. Except that it had been cathartic, like years of repressed rage being released in one mightily unhealthy dose.

"Kill the bed half naked? We all have those kinds of moments." He replied flatly, the spark of laughter in his eyes saving me from begging him to forgive me.

Bella tugged on my sleeve to take me over to the sink, the cold water tap was rushing down into the basin and she unceremoniously shoved both my hands under the stream. There was dots and smears of red across her shirt and it took me a second to work out it was my blood. Suddenly my hands began to throb. I'd managed to rip the shit out of them.

"I take it Bella called you back then?" I said after we had been immersed in silence for at least ten minutes whilst Bella dabbed at each individual incision on my hands with the same kind of orange stinging liquid she had cleaned up my face and knuckles with only last weekend. This wasn't a habit I wanted to form with her.

"No, I was already coming back. Alice had phoned ahead." Was the terse reply. "She put the phone on speaker and I heard your breakdown. Ranting about finding someone, hurting them, then you started to...cry...for your parents."

"I'm grateful you arrived when you did." I told him honestly. "I don't think the dresser would have made it out alive."

"We got to Alice's house, there were flowers waiting for her when we went inside." Ice. My body felt like it had flooded with ice. "We thought we had better come to make sure you and Bella were ok."

"Plus I didn't want to be in the house." Alice finally spoke, smiling at us apologetically.

"They looked like the same kind of flowers you described sitting in Bella's truck." Jasper told us.

What in holy hell was going on in this town?

Alice had replaced her hands with Jasper's and gone to stand beside Bella as I edged closer to the table to sit down. They stood with their hands clasped together watching us with big Bambi eyes, like we held the answers to life itself.

"There were more flowers upstairs, on her bed. It sent me over the edge."

"I noticed." He chuckled. "He was in the house? In Bella's room? That's just sick. It must have been when we were all here."

"Yup." I popped the p in annoyance.

We all jumped when we heard the rumble of an engine approach the house, tyres screeched to a stop outside and doors opened and slammed in quick succession. Without knocking Emmett barrelled into the house with Rosalie clutched at his side. Rosalie released herself from his grip and flung herself at Bella and Alice. Emmett's eyes surveyed the scene, taking in Jasper's frozen food to the face, my raw and still vaguely bloody fists and the girls huddling together.

"What the fuck is going on here?" His words mirrored my own, but thankfully he didn't follow _his _question up with a fully fledged breakdown. "I took Rosalie home and there were the same flowers waiting for her. Then Carlisle calls and Esme got the same ones! And dude! Why don't you ever answer you fucking phone!?" His meaty fist slammed into the top of my arm making the entire thing numb, for which I was perversely grateful because it negated the dull and constant throb emanating from my hand.

It took only a few minutes to bring Emmett up to speed. His already thunderous expression clouded further when Alice told him about walking into her house and finding a bouquet of roses sitting on the kitchen counter waiting for her. When Bella explained what had happened here, minus the naughty touching and sucking thankfully, he looked ready to kill. I explained my psychotic break to him which caused his eye to twitch, with vague amusement or something else I couldn't figure out. I knew that he was itching to go and survey the damage I had caused but contained his curiosity.

"He was in this house when we all were? In Bella's bedroom? Cocky son of a bitch."

"Where did Esme find hers?" Bella asked.

"They were on the front porch; whoever it was didn't go into the house. They didn't get into the Hale's either, they were sitting on the hood of Rosie's car." He explained.

"This is fucked up." Jasper mumbled, his head in his hands having abandoned the now soggy bag from the freezer.

I kept looking at Bella, her hand still clasping Alice's, occasionally muttering something I could only imagine being comforting. Her strength was impressive. If I was in her situation I'd be all sorts of scattered. Rage bubbled in my stomach again so I walked over to her and took her free hand, placing it on my chest. Her chocolate eyes looked up at me full of questions that I desperately wanted to answer but didn't know where to start. I shrugged.

"I don't know what to do." I told her bluntly, hating that fact. She nodded decisively at me before walking over to the phone. We all stared at her movements across the kitchen and as she punched in some numbers. With a deep breath she spoke.

"Daddy, I need you."

**BPOV**

None of anything had sunk in. I was in an impenetrable bubble of Zen. If I had a Zen garden I'd be raking the shit out of the thing. Edward's epic breakdown hadn't fazed me. He associated the roses with the death of his parents, I knew it would only be matter of time before we had an episode of that magnitude if they continued. The thing that really pissed me off, though, was the fact that I had been aching for Edward's hands on my body all day and once again I was denied that giddy pleasure.

When we find out who is doing this they will be sorry they ever laid eyes on me I swear to god.

Alice had called in a panic, telling me about finding the roses in her kitchen. It was one thing to mess with me, but to fuck with Alice is unforgivable. It's considered a war crime. You can be killed for shit like that. Or put under house arrest. One of them. She had told me she was coming to the house with Jasper and I told them to hurry, a bizarre giggle building in my chest at the sight of Edward naked from the waist down destroying my bed.

Inappropriate giggling. I'll be sure to put that on my college transcripts as an extracurricular activity.

Then when Jasper was wrestling Edward to the ground all the funny had left my body. He had looked so defeated. So lost and in need of some serious reassurance that he was loved. Again that empathy needled at my heart and I was seconds away from just bursting apart from the pain I felt for him.

But now this has gone too far. Rosalie and Esme too? That's just not on. None of us deserved this, nor did we have any idea as to how to resolve it.

And suddenly I needed my Daddy.

Needed him to listen to our fears and for him to fix it.

That never leaves a person. When I'm fifty and in a bind I'll still want Charlie to come charging in on his white horse and fix it. The fact that he has a serious amount of guns and the power to use them definitely helps with the hero worship. He's the closest we can get to James Bond right now.

I had torn myself away from Edward's touch and walked over to the phone, everyone watching and waiting to see what I was doing. I punched Charlie's number into the phone and waited. It rang four times before he answered.

"Bella?"

"Daddy I need you."

"Five minutes." We both hung up. There was nothing else to say.

Edward sat back down at the table and I sat on his knee, my face nuzzled into his neck, his hands stroking up and down the length of my back. Four minutes later we heard the approaching siren from Charlie's cruiser. Nobody spoke. I was too busy contemplating how to explain why I let Edward contaminate what little evidence may have been in my room. I think Edward was thinking the same thing because at one point he groaned and smacked his forehead with the heel of his hand, making him hiss lowly with the pain from his hand.

"Bella?!" Charlie called out, the lights from the cruiser still spinning, sending eerie light patterns across the walls. He barrelled into the kitchen and appraised our ashen faces. I threw myself up and directly at him. Neither of us were tactile with the other, an unspoken treaty we established early on in our father/daughter relationship that suited us just fine, so to say he was surprised was an understatement. His eyes flicked to Edward behind me but he refrained from vocalising any suspicions he may have had.

I gestured for him to sit down so we could start to explain. I resumed my sitting on Edward's lap which made Charlie narrow his eyes, but I shook my head at him in warning. Emmett started, managing to blow my Alice cover for the previous weekend. Alice quickly interjected, explaining that we had all stayed at the Cullen house that night, and that she and I had shared a room. Thank god Charlie believed every word that came out of that sometimes devious little mouth. He didn't seem overly happy about it, but there was no pulling of the gun on Edward and threatening of a convent for me.

Jasper took over then, quickly covering the rest of the story until it was my turn.

I hadn't thought this far ahead. I don't think, "well, I blew Edward by the front door and he was carrying me up the stairs for some sexy time when we found it" was going to cut the mustard somehow. Luckily Edward picked up the story as I continued to watch Charlie's reaction to it all. So far his moustache had twitched once. That's it.

"Bella was cold, so she nipped up to get a sweater. She shouted out for me and I went up, there was a blanket of roses on her bed, Chief."

"I'll have a look." He made to stand up but Edward held out a hand.

"I should prepare you, sir, I lost my head a little...a lot to be honest."

"How do you mean?"

"Daddy, he destroyed my bed."

"He what?"

"Chief, there are some unpleasant connotations to the types of flowers this guy is leaving our girls." Emmett explained. "Edward links the flowers with the deaths of his parents."

Edward looked at Emmett in shock, like he was wondering where the real Emmett was and what he had done to him.

"How did you know that?"

"I'm not stupid Edward." A frown flashed across Emmett's face. I missed his dimples.

Charlie huffed leaving the room and I followed him. We padded up the stairs until we came to my room. He was mumbling some stuff under his breath that I didn't catch as he traversed the war zone that was previously my sanctuary. The toes of his boots nudged at some of the flowers then at a big chunk of my bed sitting abandoned on the floor at the opposite end of the room from where it had lived just half an hour before.

"I knew I should've had that tree knocked down when you became a teenager." I didn't reply because I knew he was talking to himself. "Get a bag and throw some things in it Bells, you can't stay here tonight."

"Why not?"

"It's not safe apparently. I need to speak to Esme Cullen too, but that can wait 'til tomorrow. You can stay at Billy's tonight."

"Oh, because that's so much safer." I riled sarcastically at him. "It's barely more than a dog kennel."

"Don't be snotty Bella." Charlie rounded on me but I held my ground. I wasn't going to be separated from Edward right now. He was the only person who could keep me sane, even if he wasn't always exactly compus mentis himself. "Do you know somewhere safer?!"

"Yes. I'm going to the Cullen's house." I told him, picking up a bag and throwing things into it without looking at what it was, when I finally looked down I counted two left shoes, swimming goggles that I didn't even know I owned and a pair of pyjama bottoms. Tsking at myself I dumped it all back down and started to pay attention to what I was throwing in the bag this time.

Charlie gaped at my actions before his eye was drawn to a crumpled heap of black fabric on the floor. His toes kicked out at it before he bent to retrieve it. I realised too late what it was. I watched his face turn from red to blue to purple to white to purple again.

"You are not staying with that boy." He waved Edward's discarded and forgotten underwear at my face. A wicked part of me was tempted to stick my tongue out and lick them as he waved them at me, but even I couldn't be that cruel. I didn't want Charlie to have a heart attack. "Cullen!" He shouted and two pairs of feet thudded onto the stairs, even though they would have both known which Cullen he was calling.

They appeared at the doorway and Charlie threw Edward's boxers at him in disgust. His emerald eyes widened and his skin paled if that was even possible considering how pale he was in the first place.

"Dad please." I actually whined.

"No Bella, you are not staying in the same house as that boy." He roared and pointed and acted like the overprotective father he is.

"I am, there is nowhere else in Forks that has that kind of a security system Dad. It's the only place I'll feel safe when you aren't with me." Emmett cleared his throat.

"It is true sir, and I'll be taking Rosalie, Jasper and Alice back there too. It's the safest place in Forks." Charlie appraised Emmett, taking in his earnest face, those dimples that screamed trust me, I was happy they were back even if they were diminished somewhat, and his wide honest eyes before slumping his shoulders and relenting.

"I'll need to talk to Carlisle." Charlie grumped and stomped down the stairs to the phone.

"Shit." Edward looked down at the underwear in his hands with a shake of his head.

"Don't freak out dude, keep your underwear on...oh, wait..." Snorted Emmett as he backed out of the room.

Edward packed some things into my bag for me as I pointed them out to him. He found his phone and slipped it in his pocket when he left to grab some things from the bathroom. Coming back into the room he brandished my toothbrush at me whilst sniffing my shampoo.

"What are you doing?"

"I love that smell, but it's nothing compared to how it smells on you." He mumbled at me, snapping the cap shut and grazing his nose up my neck and into my hair when he walked past.

"Shut up and get it in the bag." I grinned, chancing a lingering kiss on his pouting lips. "We had better go downstairs lest Charlie think you're taking advantage of me."

Charlie scowled deeply at us when we came downstairs hand in hand; my bag in Edward's other hand. The phone was pressed firmly against his ear and he was listening intently whilst pacing back and forth. He left the room to finish the call, leaving us all in the dark as to what was happening.

Finally he stalked back into the room, pushing his hat onto his head, he motioned for me to follow him out into the hallway where he gave me a small heavy bag.

"Keep this with you at all times." He told me brusquely and walked back to the kitchen.

Just what I need, a can of pepper spray that if it came down to it would be of no use because I would end up spraying myself. I do it with perfume so there's no chance it won't happen in an emergency situation.

He waited until I was back in the kitchen before addressing us as one.

"You are all going to the Cullen house. I've spoken to your parents and they agree that you should stay there for tonight at least. Carlisle has assured me that it's no problem and that he will keep an eye on you all." He raised a suspicious eyebrow at Edward and me. "I'm going back to the station to look into a couple of things and get someone to look over what's left of your room Bella." Again another look towards Edward. "Someone is tracing the flowers. If I'm needed you know where to reach me. Stay together." He waited for us to nod at him to show we understood and then left without another word.

**EPOV**

My own underwear to the face.

Just fucking beautiful.

I knew I was missing something but couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Bella's father was beginning to terrify me. The more I thought about it the more convinced I was that he was going to shoot me and claim accident whilst cleaning the gun. It's a very real thought that goes through his head. I can see it in his eyes.

Bella was right though, my house has to be the safest in Forks, and it's not like there isn't plenty of rooms for guests. We would only need to use one for Jasper and Alice anyway, Rosalie would be in with Emmett and Bella would be in with me.

Bella would be in with me.

Maybe I should really try to take her mind off the events of the night. Maybe orgasm is the way to go?

I really need to set my priorities straight. Though the way her skin is flushing she could be thinking about the same thing. We were both in need of release and tension relief.

_Stop it Cullen, she's scared. _

Is she?

"Are you scared?" I turned the car into the long wooded drive leading to my house, we had driven in silence with our hands gripping each other.

"Not when I'm with you." She cast her gaze over me

"Even when I'm going all Demolition Man on your bed? Which I will replace by the way."

"Don't be silly Edward."

"I broke it, I'll sort it."

"Fine." She huffed. "I want a double."

"I'm not buying you a double bed! Your dad hates me enough already."

"He doesn't hate you, he doesn't even know you. He just thinks you're a savage after his daughter's precious gift." She put air quotes around the words "precious gift" and giggled. The sound of it filled the car and I was reluctant to open the door now we were at the house, afraid it would escape into the atmosphere never to be heard again.

"We'd better go in." I said after I parked in the garage.

"Fine, but I want you to promise to take me to bed as soon as possible." I gaped at her, the silence hung in the car. She gets more and more forward as each hour passes. "I'm tired. Get your mind out of the gutter Cullen."

"Don't call me Cullen." My voice swiftly dropped a few octaves. Hands sprung out and started tickling up her ribs making her squeal with laughter, pushing up against the door in a pathetic attempt at escape from my long arms and long fingers.

My door was wrenched open before I could see just how serious she was about the tiredness issue and Carlisle's head popped down to appraise us.

"Welcome back Bella." He smiled and with a slight nod of his head signalled that we should get into the main body of the house.

Will I ever get my end away tonight?

Frustrated once again we walked into the kitchen to find everyone sitting around the kitchen table. Bella and I took the two vacant seats and looked at Carlisle expectantly. He and Esme refused to meet our eyes.

"Charlie told us everything." Carlisle started.

"We wish that you had told us about the original bouquet of flowers."

"We thought that we knew who had done it, and it wasn't an issue." Emmett informed them, to which we all nodded in agreement.

"That evaluation has proved to be wrong." Carlisle replied. "You are all to stay here tonight and perhaps tomorrow."

"We are all pretty tired I think." Looking around the room to which five heads responded with a nod. "We should just head to bed."

"We have given your father our reassurance that you will not be sleeping in Edward's room." Esme told us apologetically.

I sighed deeply with annoyance. Part of me knew this was coming.

"What Charlie doesn't know won't hurt him." Bella smiled hopefully at my parents making Emmett snigger into his hand.

"Nice try Bells, but no go. The Cullen's don't go back on their word." Emmett informed her.

"Fine, she doesn't have to sleep in my room, she can have the spare room opposite it though." Standing up I took Bella with me, we walked up to the third floor and I showed her the spare room. I threw her bag across the bed and turned to her. Within seconds she was in my arms, her head pressed against my chest, her fingers digging tight into my back.

"I didn't mean to put your parents in an awkward position."

"They don't mind, they see how much I love you, how you mean everything to me now."

"Everything?" Tilting her head she smiled up at me.

"Everything." I told her adamantly.

There was a knock at the door, followed by everyone trooping in and taking up residence on the bed.

"What do we do?" Alice asked the room.

"Nothing, we leave it to the police. We aren't the Scooby Gang." Bella replied, taking a few steps and sitting beside Jasper. He put his arms around her and Alice, offering them reassurance. A little flare of annoyance ignited in me but I shook it aside.

"That's a nice sight." Emmett smiled. "If I squint Jasper looks a lot like Rosalie...same liquid blue eyes...same pretty little mouth...stroke Bella's arm Jasper." He exploded with laughter at the look on their faces until Rosalie punctured his amusing bubble with a solidly connecting punch to the arm. "You hit harder than Edward." He grumbled, rubbing the sore spot.

"Emmett, there aren't words for what I think about you right now." Jasper told him.

"Call me your back up plan. If all else fails we have each other."

* * *

Esme and Carlisle called us down to the kitchen. We left everyone else upstairs indulging in a bizarre argument about who was actually the prettier of the Hales, which Rosalie was taking far too seriously for everyone's liking.

"I think this is more serious than anyone thinks." Carlisle told us.

"What do you mean?" Emmett asked.

"There are a lot of things to explain, that we have tried to keep from you both." Esme replied, unable to meet our eyes.

"You should maybe start at the beginning then."

Neither of them spoke or moved. They sat like marble statues, their minds working at a rate of knots. My mind was blank. Completely empty as to what they could be talking about. How could they know more about this than they had let on?

"It isn't the first time that odd things have happened surrounding our family." Carlisle finally spoke.

"If you are just going to speak in cryptic sentences then I'm going back up to Bella." I told them.

With a deep sigh, Carlisle nodded and started again.

"It's why we had to leave Forks in the first place. Odd things began to happen. Parcels turned up addressed to Esme and there would be photographs, hundreds of photographs of you, Edward, as you played at school, walked with Jasper. Everything you did was documented, days and days of the most mundane activities. We thought that you were being targeted by some sort of paedophile so we left."

"We took you to Alaska to get away from whom ever was following you." Esme continued. "Emmett joined our family after that and we were contented. Only it started again. This time you were both being photographed and boxes appeared at our house."

"We tried to shield you both from it, to make sure you didn't worry. When it started we were lucky enough to be in the situation where we could afford to make us all safer, with the security systems we had installed and hiring people to keep an eye on you both when we couldn't." Carlisle took over from Esme.

"You had us followed to prevent someone following us." I stated, my mind reeling from the information they were suddenly presenting us with. It explained a lot, Esme's panic when we weren't reachable, the constant moving, the feeling of being watched that plagued me and fed the paranoid half of my personality.

"We thought it was the best course of action. We talked to the police in Alaska but they weren't sure that they could help us. We went back and forward to them, with the boxes every time they arrived at the house, but there was never any evidence, never anything that would lead them to who was doing it."

"Has this happened everywhere? Is this why we moved so much?" Emmett inquired.

"Everywhere. We usually have a peaceful first few months, and then it begins. Even when we were in Scotland, they followed us there. How they found us we don't know."

This was getting too serious for me to comprehend, we had been stalked for literally years.

"Was there ever a threat of physical harm?"

"No. Never."

"Then why?"

"We don't know." Esme sighed, cradling her head in her hands, staring down at the grain of the wooden table.

"This time has happened too quickly, I don't know what may have changed. As far as we are aware no one except ourselves has been a recipient of any "gifts"."

"Is it possible that this time you are over-reacting?" Emmett supposed. "That it is in fact Newton just messing with us, trying to rile us after Edward here beat him down?"

"It's possible, but unlikely."

"More unlikely than we have been followed across the world by an amateur fucking photographer?"

"Don't swear." Esme sighed.

"I think this situation warrants a little bit of swearing Esme, perhaps even a fucking lot of swearing." Her eyes looked up at me and I instantly regretted my immature outburst. "Sorry."

Emmett was looking just as confused and annoyed as I was. I could tell he was feeling a little betrayed at being kept in the dark about this for so many years. As was I.

"All these years you drummed so many values into us, you brought us up to behave like gentlemen and to afford people the most basic right, honesty." I said as calmly as I could. "Yet you've kept something of this importance from us for years. You have lied to us about why we have to leave city after city." Carlisle flinched away from my words, stung by the truth of them. "You have always treated us as you equals, yet with this you have managed to make me feel like it was all a lie."

"Easy there Edward, they are telling us now." Emmett put his hand on my shoulder like he was restraining me but there was no need. There was no threat of me having yet another violent breakdown this evening.

I was numb.

"I learnt to not let people in. I knew that I would only have to leave them behind because your work was constantly moving us somewhere else. I've spent years living in a shell of loneliness and isolation." I accused them, unable to stop myself, unable to shy away from the gurgling betrayal that was barely hiding behind the numbness. "I've been broken by more than one thing in my life, I'll be forever grateful to you both for making me your son when my parents were no longer able to."

"Edward..." Esme reached her hand across the table to take one of my own, her motherly touch doing nothing to stop the epic failure of my internal filter. Everything I was thinking was pouring out of my mouth.

"But if the reason you called us down here without the company of our friends, the people we love, is to tell us that we have to leave once again then you can both go to hell." I finished and pushed out my chair.

Emmett stared at me, his eyes crinkling at the sides as he thought through what we both had to lose if we were forced to leave Forks. Within a second he was on his feet and standing shoulder to shoulder with me on the decision he had silently agreed on.

"I love and respect you both beyond words." He informed them. "But I'm with Edward."

We walked out of the room in silence, taking the stairs two at a time we paused when the sounds of laughter filtered through the open door to the spare room.

The room that held the reasons why we would never regret our decision no matter what was about to come our way.

**A/N: Read it, enjoy it, review it. **

**As always I am grateful to all of you who have stuck with this and have lovely things to say.**

**Update will be asap. **


	28. Hurry

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight...I own a Superman Bag.**

**Hurry**

**BPOV**

My fingers wouldn't stop touching Edward's skin. The pads picking up on the infinitesimal changes as they travelled across anywhere I had access to. In a desperate bid to ignore the silence that had been swirling through the house for hours I had borrowed Edward's IPhone, buried the buds deeply into my ear canals and started molesting the sleeping topless vision of godliness laying on his front beside me.

Emmett had explained what had been told to them by Carlisle and Esme down in the kitchen whilst Edward had crushed himself into my side in silence, his gorgeous lips pouting out slightly. Questions had been answered for both of them, but as far as I could tell it had posed more even more that were desperate to be answered.

They had opened Pandora's Box down in the kitchen and it felt like my purpose in this twisting tale was to remind Edward of what was left when everything flees. I had to remind him there was hope left, hope that it would all work out, that in the end everyone would be safe.

My fingers stuttered across the scar on his back, the one that lived just beside the base of his spine. It had to be three inches long and it was old. It had that faded look that matched the two inch scar on my knee from when I fell off a float during a Thanksgiving Day parade when I was nine. I became fascinated with dragging my fingers across the shape of it. The edges were ragged from where it was sewn shut without much care.

Bored from staring at the ceiling my gaze shifted down to drink in his face. I jumped back slightly when I realised he was awake, his eyes crinkling with amusement and a lazy smirk gracing his gorgeous mouth despite the revelations of the day. Fingers plucked a bud from my ear and placed it in his own.

"Pearl Jam?"

"Eddie Vedder's voice does to me what no man ever could." His eyebrows disappeared into the hair that was swept across his forehead. He sat patiently when I fisted my hands into his hair so that I could fix it.

"I'd like to test that statement." His voice dropped so low that it vibrated throughout my body, he inched his face closer to mine.

"Is it not bad enough that I'm in your bed? I don't want to put your parents in an awkward position Edward."

"The rooms are soundproofed. And I know an awkward position that you would _love_." As he spoke his breath kissed against my face, my mind was telling me no but my body was responding to everything he did by inching me further down the bed until out faces were practically touching. I closed my eyes to collect myself and that's when his lips pushed onto mine.

"I wasn't ready. It's unfair to stealth attack me." I managed to mumble at him, his tongue glancing across my lips begging entrance to my mouth.

"You're not exactly fighting me off you know." Grinning at me he stopped his hand just as it was disappearing into my jeans. "I'll stop if you want."

"Like I'd ever want you to stop." Managed to escape my mouth in a sigh. "I've wanted this all day."

Fingers disappeared into my jeans without me having to say another word. My hips instinctively bucked up to meet his touch. His fingers should be cloned and made available to the women of the world; the way they play me like a piano is obscene. Before he could bring me anymore graphic pleasure I pushed his hands away. We'd had a full day of foreplay.

I was _sick_ of foreplay.

Edward watched me struggle to undo the button and yank down the zip until he realised what I wanted, that the end goal was in sight. His fingers replaced my own and in seconds he was lifting my hips impatiently with his hands to slide them down.

Soft moans escaped my mouth every time he made contact with bare skin; my body was operating on a higher frequency, vibrating with need. I ripped off the rest of the clothes I was wearing and threw them away from the safe island of Edward's bed. I watched as he stood above me, unsteady slightly on the mattress, removing the last articles of clothing he wore.

My eyes tried to take in everything at once, tried to tell him how much I needed him, how much we both needed this right now but he knew already. The look on his face told me everything I needed. His eyes travelled down from the top of my head to the painted nails on my toes. His hands worked fast to slide a condom on. Taking in every detail of my body, he drank in the sight of me naked below him as greedily as I feasted on the sight above me.

The air crackled with the electricity of our connection. It was making us both drunk and excited and desperate. We paused, both so consumed with just looking at each other, until his foot brushed against my thigh. My arms reached up for him just as he started to drop down.

We were a tangle of limbs, of hands fisting in hair, of fingers digging into flesh, of moans mixing together as they drifted towards the ceiling. Lips, tongues and teeth clashed in a ferocious meeting of lust. We rolled and spun and moaned and groaned, his dick twitched against my thigh as his mouth claimed the peaks of my breasts.

I pulled on his hair to bring his face back up to mine, my legs wrapped around his waist and my hand reached down to grip his shaft to guide him in. He thrust into me with a frenzied push of his hips making my back arch and my breathing hitch.

Then we were still.

Neither of us moved. We watched each other. Sweat was beading on his forehead with the strain of supporting his body on just his arms. My hands stroked across his shoulders and down to his elbows, I pushed them out so that he collapsed on top of me. I wanted his full weight on top of me, to reassure me he was real, that he was with me in every way. Breath rushed out of me when his body crashed down onto mine.

"Shit, are you ok?"

"I needed to feel you on me."

Our eyes locked and he started to move again, his hips pulling away before pushing back with purpose. Within seconds we were thrusting against each other with abandon, our eyes never looking away, our foreheads a millimetre away from touching. With Edward inside me I felt safe, felt loved and felt the telltale signs of imminent orgasm. His panting became more laboured, his thrusts more urgent.

"Bella....Bella....mine." I could barely make out his words and I didn't care what he was saying. He could have told me he was Hitler reincarnated at that moment and I wouldn't have given a damn. "Fuuuuck...Bella...I'm gonna...mine...Bella's mine."

"Yours." I managed to gasp out in reply before I clenched down, pulsating around him, bringing him over the brink into the land of happiness that is called orgasm. With a final violent thrust into me he stilled, never looking away from my face as I continued to ride through the waves of pleasure lapping at my body.

His lips rained exhausted kisses across my face making me giggle and pull him closer to me.

"Shit. You are _fantastic_."

"Not so bad yourself." I replied. He was already almost asleep. Large hands dug under my body after he rolled off me and disposed of the condom to pull me closer to him. He tucked my head under his defined jaw and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

I woke first, the room was still black and I think I had only been asleep for half an hour. I could hear muffled music from somewhere so made it my mission to hunt down Edward's IPhone. I hopped off the bed, pulled on Edward's shirt and concentrated on finding the offending article. Edward moaned and rolled over onto his stomach, his body uncovered completely. Finally I found the thing and shoved the buds back into my ears.

I should probably go back through to the guest room. I didn't want Carlisle or Esme to find me in here in the morning. It was bad enough that I had allowed myself to be led in here earlier, not to mention the desperate copulation I had just indulged in. Having said that, I certainly wasn't feeling as tense as I had been. I took another look at Sleeping Beauty realising I couldn't leave without kissing him again.

Quietly I walked back over to the bed, scooping up my discarded clothes on the way. I pressed a kiss down onto his temple and let my fingers stroke across the scar on his back. Unable to resist I dropped my lips down onto it.

"Did you just kiss my scar?" His voice penetrated the silence of the room but I barely heard it over the music in my ears.

"Um, yes, I did."

"Why?"

"Because it's part of you." I turned to leave but his hand shot out from the bed to catch my wrist.

"Don't leave yet." At least he was acknowledging that I would have to go to the other room at some point before morning. I crawled back up on to the bed, put a bud into his ear and found myself enveloped in his embrace once again.

"How did you get that scar?" The question just blurted out of my mouth without prior warning. He tightened his arms around me slightly and sighed deeply.

"It happened when I was in care."

"Oh, I'm sorry, it doesn't matter." Quickly I retracted the question.

"No, don't worry, I'm going to tell you it all at some point anyway. Why not today?" He laughed without humour. "It seems like today is full of things I would rather forget. With the exception of a few shining moments of course. It's how I met Carlisle anyway, so it's an important story."

"All of your stories are important. You tell me about your scar and I'll tell you about mine." I smiled through the darkness.

"Deal." He released me and stood up to pull on a pair of pyjama bottoms. They hung low on his hips, the definition of his pelvis held my attention for longer than is considered polite. "Stop staring at me." He smirked.

"Sometimes I don't think you're real. I think that maybe I'm in some kind of heightened state of delusion, drugged up and tied down in a psych ward somewhere."

"You're crazy."

"See?" Chuckling he jumped up onto the bed to sit in front of me cross legged, I leaned back into the mountain of pillows, my feet sitting on the cross of his ankles. "I'll go first if you want?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Look at my right knee." I bent it up a little, his hands travelling up from my ankle not leaving the skin, which was highly unnecessary considering I was trying to pay attention to talking.

"Did you fall over?" His eyebrow raised in amusement. "Someone leave a matchstick lying about?"

"Well you obviously don't want to know the story then." I huffed.

"Sorry." He laughed, stroking his hands along my legs. "I'll be quiet."

"Renée was off on some spiritual retreat that I refused to go to, so I came to Forks for Thanksgiving. Charlie arranged for me to be the Princess on one the floats."

"Bet you loved that." He sniggered but stopped when he realised he had broken his promise of silence.

"_Anyway_, the dress was too long, I had to walk along and throw presents into the crowd. I tripped over the hem and tumbled off, straight onto the crowd." I laughed until I saw his face. "What?"

"That's where I saw you." A grin split his face. "I was there, you landed on me! Don't you remember? I knew I had to have seen you before!"

It came rushing back to me, the flashes of bronze and green as I refused to look at anyone. Catching a glimpse of the poor boy I had crushed under me when I was running away. I was convinced I would never forget him; the embarrassment burned into my mind would ensure that. Edward's hands quickly pulled me up by the hips until I was sitting on his lap; he crushed me in his embrace.

"I knew we weren't crazy."

"I never doubted it...ok that's a lie, but still."

"That's one mystery solved." He told my hair.

"Only about a million to go."

**EPOV**

At long last something made sense again. My original desperate justifications had proved to be right. I _had_ seen Bella before. I knew that had to have been it. There was no way I would have been able to dream up someone as wonderful as the woman currently sitting on my lap and returning my hug with equal intensity.

Bella was right though, there were still a hell of a lot of mysterious still to be solved, but suddenly a big part of me didn't care. When she was with me I felt invincible. I felt like everything that went before paled into insignificance, the memories were beginning to fade and look like they belonged to someone else. It was beginning to not hurt when I thought about them.

"So, I was about to tell you about my scar before we discovered we weren't actually certifiable."

"You don't have to tell me, it's none of my business." We were still holding each other tightly; her hand had wandered down to it and started stroking across it. I loved that she loved every part of me, even the ugly parts.

"I want to tell you, I want to tell you everything. I also want to know everything about _you_."

"Compared to you there is nothing to tell Edward. I lived with my Mom, she married Phil, I moved to Forks, I met you...and they lived happily ever after?"

"If I have anything to do with it there will be the happiest _ever_ ever after." I could feel her smile against my shoulder.

"I'm going to hold you to that."

"Good. So do you want to know?" I knew she did, the question would never have been asked if she didn't.

"You know I want to know everything."

So I told her.

About the day I realised that there was no one left to love me, standing in front of the coffins holding the remains of the two people who were meant to see me through life. There were only a handful of people around the graveside, and one of them was meant to take me to where I was going to live. Mrs Cope took my hand and led me away, she let me look back but kept my hand in her iron grip afraid that I was going to struggle and run.

I didn't.

I knew what was left for me now and there was no point in fighting it. It had been explained to me by the doctors at the hospital they wouldn't let me leave. I refused to speak or eat for a week after they died until I finally realised that it wouldn't bring them back to me.

Cope took me to the house, to my new home. She lived there with her husband and their son, plus another kid who was supposedly in their _care_. That kid was all kinds of messed up, he had been abused and discarded by more than one person in his life. He resented me coming in, resented the attention he perceived me to be receiving. Even though in reality I was just as ignored as he was.

We lived under a roof of tension and resentment, their real son was barely ever there, apparently being a biological relation doesn't guarantee you the love that's supposed to exist. I had to share a room with the other boy. He was worrying in general. Kept himself to himself, sometimes I would hear him mumbling to himself and staring at me but I could never make out the words.

One night we were all in the kitchen, we rarely had dinner together and I forget the reason we were that night. I don't know what I did, but the kid flipped. He grabbed the carving knife and just stabbed it into me.

"Holy Christ, that's crazy."

"I know. We had been living in the same room as each other for pretty much a year, the tensions were running high, we had been in a couple of fights but nothing serious."

"I sometimes resent the fact that I can't get my hair to sit right but I don't fricking stab it."

"I think that maybe, _just maybe_, there could be different scales of resentment Bella." I chuckled.

"I suppose." She conceded. "So, he stabbed you and then?"

"Mrs Cope was about to take me to the hospital but her husband stopped her. He said that if they took me they would be reported, they could lose the cash that was coming in. She wasn't bad, but they were poor and I think they had hoped they would get some of my inheritance for my upkeep or something."

"Money grabbing wankers." There was outrage laced through the words, I hadn't heard Bella be that vitriolic about anything.

"Yeah, I mean, it's an awful thing to be, but they were pretty desperate. So, he stabbed me and they wouldn't take me to the hospital. The husband pulled out a needle, sterilised it, pulled thread through it and stitched me up."

"That's barbaric."

"I know." Her fingers continued to run across the scar.

"And incredibly unhygienic."

"Yup, that's why it got infected."

"And that's how you met Carlisle?"

"Exactly. I blacked out at school, they couldn't get a hold of my guardians." She scoffed at the word guardians. "They took me to the nearest hospital and Carlisle was my doctor."

"Serendipity."

"I never took you for a hippy."

"Shut up and finish your story." She laughed.

"That's an oxymoron if ever I heard one."

"Ok then Mr Smarty Pants, continue."

"They thought it was flu for a while, at least that's the way it presented, but one of the nurses saw the wound and alerted the doctors. That's one of the very few times I saw Carlisle lose his temper."

"What did he do?"

"He pinned Mr Cope up against a wall by his neck and called him all sorts of bad words that I should never have heard."

Bella wriggled back off me and sank into the pillows behind her. My legs had gone numb twenty minutes ago but I didn't want to say anything because I liked holding her. Groaning I stretched my legs out, wincing at the feeling of the blood rushing back down them.

"I had to stay in the hospital for a while before I got better. I think Carlisle maybe stretched my stay out a little to make sure he had everything in order. He came in to see me one night with Esme. They told me they couldn't have children, and that Carlisle could see in me what they had hoped to achieve in a son."

"It sounds really formal."

"I think he wanted to put it across like some sort of business deal." I laughed. "Like he had read a "how to..." book on bartering for an adopted son. From the start they treated me less like a kid and more like a small adult. I figured anything had to be better than where I was. I went in a Mason and came out a Cullen."

"I wish I had known you then, been able to help you through it."

"I don't." I told her honestly. "I wouldn't have been able to love you the way you deserve. I was broken. We met at the perfect time Bella, I can love you now. I wouldn't have been able to before."

"Except that you hated me at first."

"I never hated you, I was just scared. You don't know what it's like, knowing that at any moment you can be told that you are leaving. Even though Carlisle and Esme promised this would be the last move I never believed it. I thought that I would just lose you like I lost everything else."

"I won't let you lose me. I'd be like one of those dogs that travel the country to get back to their owners. You could leave me at the Grand Canyon and I'd find you again." The words came out of her mouth with conviction, the look on her face contemplative as she imagined herself tracking me cross country.

"I'd never leave you behind in the first place."

* * *

Eventually Bella went back to the spare room. I was beyond giving a shit about what would happen if she was found in here in the morning, but she was adamant about not having Carlisle and Esme lie to her dad. I fell into a fitful sleep. Telling Bella about how I got that particular scar had stirred up some pretty potent memories that made themselves known in my dreams. It was the first time I hadn't dreamt of her when we were apart.

Glints of knives temporarily blinded me, I was walking around the mansion calling for something and desperate to get to it but I couldn't walk any faster. His face was grinning at me around every corner, taunting me to come and get him. Pictures I'd never seen before adorned the walls, everyone was in them.

Bella standing with Alice.

Me kissing Bella that first time beside her truck.

Jasper and Alice caught up in an embrace outside the school.

Emmett talking to Rosalie outside her house.

And others showing things I would never be privy to and made me wonder about my subconscious because it was making this shit up. I'd pay to have the images burned out of my head; no one needs to see their brother bent that way.

Rustling in my closet woke me up. I prised my eyes open to find Jasper half naked in my room. Quickly I shut them again and told myself I was dreaming. Why I would be dreaming _that_ I have no idea.

"I saw you open your eyes."

Shit, he was really in my room.

"You could have got dressed before gracing me with your presence." I grumbled.

"I've got more clothes on than you did last night when I had to wrestle you to the ground."

"Sorry about that."

"Yeah, you said."

Finally I opened my eyes again and sat up; at least I was still wearing the pyjama bottoms I'd pulled on last night. He was rooting through my closet with abandon, discarding things left and right for not fitting with his clothing ethos.

"I need a shirt." He answered my unspoken question. "I'd take the Ramones one back but I'm pretty sure you and Bella got up to some naughty touching in it and I'd rather not think about either of you like that."

"Bella ripped her fingers through it anyway."

"When she was trying to calm you down?"

"Um...sure, yeah, that's when that happened." I tried to sound convincing but a smirk appeared on his face and I'm pretty sure he didn't buy it.

Finally he found a shirt that he could tolerate and yanked it on over his head. There was something on his mind. When Jasper is anxious he can't look at anything for longer than a second before his eyes dance onto the next thing. He was currently doing the eye dance with the CD's lining my wall.

"Is Bella alright?"

"Is Alice ok?"

We both spoke at the same time.

"Sorry, you go." I told him.

"Is Bella alright? I went in to see her but she was still asleep."

"You went in half naked?"

"Yeah, she's seen it before."

"What?!"

"We've been swimming before Edward, it's nothing untoward. You know how much I love Alice for god's sake."

"Sorry, I'm just...on edge." There was an irrational part of me that was jealous of Jasper for knowing Bella as well as he did. Sure I knew her better than him in some ways, but he has years of history with her. Even the irrational part of me knows that they are completely platonic, like siblings, but it doesn't stop the little pangs of jealousy that dart through me when Bella goes to Jasper instead of me.

"I know what you mean. Whoever is doing this is fucking with the people we love most in the world."

"It's going to stop Jasper. I mean, the police are involved now. Do you think Charlie is going to let this lie knowing that someone was in his daughter's room?"

"Good point."

"It's going to end. And we'll all make sure that our girls are ok."

**BPOV**

Alice bounced on the bed. My eyes were closed but I knew it was her. No one else in the world would risk the decapitation involved in waking me up before I woke naturally. Being obstinate I continued to pretend to sleep. There was a shift in the air above my face and it took every drop of discipline within me to not start giggling. I could feel her breath on my cheek, could just imagine the impatient frown on her face at me not waking up. Just as my patience was wearing thin and I was going to admit defeat I felt her tongue lick right across my cheek.

"What the fuck?!" I bolted up right, narrowly missing her retreating head with my own. "Did you just fucking_ lick_ me?!"

She had retreated to the bottom of the bed and was looking at me with wide eyed innocence.

"Nope, maybe you were having an Edward dream?"

"You're a shite liar." I rubbed my wet cheek with the palm of my hand and glared at her.

"It's not like I'm venomous." She retorted. "Besides, you wouldn't wake up."

"You didn't even say wake up to me, you just bounced on the bed then licked me. There is something _very_ wrong with you."

"I knew you were faking." She grinned at me.

Rolling my eyes I dropped down onto my back. This bed was obscenely comfortable. The perfect amount of soft and hard. I need to ask Esme where she got it. That is if she wanted to talk to any of us. Last night's conversation would have been difficult for her. She might see me as the reason she can't take her sons to somewhere safe and I'd hate that. Not that they have ever been safe anywhere from the sounds of it. Alice crawled up the bed, lifted the covers and lay herself down under them next to me.

"I'm scared." She admitted. "Are you?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think so. I think that Charlie won't let anything happen to us. And neither will Edward, Jasper and Emmett."

"I'm not as strong as you are."

"Don't talk nonsense; you're stronger than you give yourself credit for. You're a force of nature." I gave her a reassuring hug just as someone knocked on the door and walked in.

"Hold it right there, I'll be back in a minute with a camera." Emmett sniggered. "This is better than the internet."

"Emmett what do you want?" I laughed. "Except to give us more of a reason to think that you only have one thing on your mind at all times?"

"Breakfast ladies, breakfast."

Alice and I forced ourselves out of bed and as soon as we walked into the hallway the smells of breakfast assaulted our nostrils. All of a sudden I was ravenous.

Having breakfast with seven other people was different, but it felt comfortable. It felt like it fit, like it was the most natural thing in the world and we had been doing it forever. Edward sat to my right, filling my plate with a bit of everything. It was like at lunchtime when you had to act fast before Emmett got a chance to claim everything. His plate was piled high with an assortment of the delicious things Esme had cooked up for us. It looked like she had been up for hours to prepare it.

"Thanks so much for breakfast Esme." I smiled tentatively over at her and she returned my smile with a hundred times more warmth than I was expecting.

"I didn't get much sleep. Cooking kept me busy."

"We thought that maybe you should all take the day off school today." Carlisle addressed the table, waiting for our reactions, as if expecting some sort of mini riot. There was no way we were going to refuse a get out of school card. When no one reacted he continued. "I'm going to go into work; Esme will be in the house if you need anything."

"Sounds like a plan." Emmett commented through a mouthful of bacon.

"Nice of you to consult us." Edward mumbled darkly under his breath. "Come on Bella." He stood up and waited for me. My fork was halfway to my mouth, pausing I looked up at him.

"I'm not finished." With a huff he sat back down. "Stop acting like a child." I muttered to him.

I understood his annoyance, but I wondered if he understood how much Esme and Carlisle were hurting right now. They had done what they had thought was best for them as a family and couldn't be blamed for that. It was obvious that they regretted their actions and wished they had talked to Edward and Emmett way before this. I hadn't seen this side to Edward before and it made me realise there was still so much to learn about him.

I took as long with breakfast as I could, the annoyance radiating off Edward in waves affecting everyone else at the table too. Finally I'd had enough and stood.

"Ready?" I quirked an eyebrow at Edward. He immediately stood up, took my hand and led me away from the table.

Where he was taking me I had no idea. We traipsed down a flight of stairs and then he stopped us in front of a door I thought was an airing closet.

"I need to show you something." I nodded, waiting for him to elucidate. "If anything happens in the house and I can't get you out..."

"Edward, stop. What's going to happen? There are eight of us; we are going to be fine."

"_Please_, Bella, indulge my concern for your safety." His green eyes searched my face, pleading with me to take him seriously.

"OK."

He pushed on a panel that sat flush with the wall; unless someone knew it was there you would never have stumbled across it. A small metal hinged door detached itself from the wall revealing another keypad.

"This is the panel to get out of the house if there are no other ways." He informed me. "I'm going to get you to put in a 4 digit number in a minute. Please don't forget it."

"You're giving me my own code to your security system? Surely Carlisle and Esme will have something to say about _that_."

"They know I'm doing it. They suggested it already."

"This is almost like you giving me your letterman jacket, class pin and asking me to prom."

"Welcome to the modern age." We smirked at each other. His fingers did a little Samba over the keypad making it beep and light up like a spaceship. "OK, put it in."

"Should I hide it from you?"

"Do you want to?"

"Nope." He watched as I pressed 2013, he smirked but didn't say anything about my choice when he pressed the button to save it.

"Right, try it." I pushed in the numbers and watched in amazement as the door beside us swung open noiselessly. "Perfect. Want to see?" He held out his hand to me grinning, his eyes shining. Nodding we walked hand in hand through the door, he pushed it shut behind us. There was no noise but I knew that if I tried the door it would be solidly static.

"The infamous escape tunnel? I thought you were joking." I admitted.

"Never joke about Cullen security, rule number one." He laughed. "Come on, it's a long walk to get out but it's worth it."

We walked for twenty minutes; there were slight curves and occasional sharp corners as we walked. The entire tunnel was made out of steel, it felt smooth under my fingers as I trailed them along it when we walked. Sporadic vents dotted the roof but apart from that the tunnel was sterile and non-descript.

We finally reached another door after walking for what felt like forever. Edward was practically bouncing with excitement when it came into sight. It was infectious.

"Why are you so giddy?" I laughed.

"This is my favourite place in Forks." He told me.

"This door?"

"No, silly, what's outside this door. It's beautiful and I wanted to share it with you. Put your number in." He nodded enthusiastically at yet another keypad. I did what he asked and the door opened just as quietly as the first one had.

The door had been built into the side of a hill, hidden by bushes and trees. Like the one in the house you would have had to know exactly where to look for it to find it. It looked like every other hillside in Forks. Trees as far as your eyes could see, mossy branches tilting down looking like they were ready to smack you in the face if you were out of line.

"Um, it's lovely." I tried to be as enthusiastic as he was.

"No, this isn't it. Come on." He pulled at my arm and walked off ahead of me up the hill.

Up the hill?

This could pose a problem of leg breaking proportions. I scurried up after him careful to not lose my footing and snap my ankle in two. Halfway up the hill he realised that I wasn't right behind him. He watched me in amusement as I skipped over barely noticeable holes in the ground lying in wait to incapacitate me. Finally I reached where he waited.

"As happy as I am that you are sharing something beautiful with me Edward I should remind you just how accident prone I am." Just as the words were out of my mouth I slipped on the wet grass and landed on my ass. "Ow." I was wholly unimpressed at this point.

"I forgot. I'm sorry." He picked me up easily. "Climb on." He crouched down in front of me, encouraging me to climb onto his back. Pride prevented me from clambering straight on; I waited a beat before finally conceding.

"If I'm too heavy just put me down."

"Are you crazy? You weigh next to nothing." His hands curled under my thighs before he took off again.

I could feel him labouring for breath the higher we climbed; it surely couldn't be much further? It would have taken me while but I would have made it at some point today without his help. Resting my head on his shoulder I closed my eyes until a sudden burst of sunshine shone straight down onto us.

"Are we there yet?" I asked.

"Yup." His hands released my legs and he waited patiently whilst I stood myself upright. Once he was sure I was steady he took a couple of steps away from me. "Look." He gestured expansively around him.

He was right, it was beautiful.

At the very top of the hill stood a meadow of sorts. Wind whipped across the top of the lush thick grass the exact green of his eyes. The grass was overgrown, offering a thick cushioned blanket ripe to be sat on, the wind made it ripple and look like it would be soft to touch, like fur. Clusters of wild flowers grew across it, polka dotting it with vivid colour. Trees enclosed the body of the meadow, making it seem like the most private place on earth.

"Do you like it? I used to come up here when I needed to think."

"It's stunning."

"I used to think so." He frowned a little. "But now that you are standing here it pales into nothing." He took steps towards me and kissed my bashfully smiling mouth.

"You think you're _so_ smooth." I giggled.

"Seems to be working." My fingers ran through his thick hair, tilting his head so that I could kiss along his jaw and down his neck. His hands cupped my ass, lifting me so that I could wrap my legs around his waist. Slowly he walked us over to the line of trees.

"You are not doing me up against a tree Edward Cullen."

"Oh, come on, it'll be hot."

"Bark in my ass is _not_ hot."

"I knew I should have brought a fucking blanket." His lips worked across my neck in a last ditch effort to persuade me and it would have worked if I hadn't twisted my head to the side so that he could graze my earlobe with his teeth.

Something caught my eye.

"Do people camp up here a lot?" I mumbled, distracted by his tongue working across my lips, trying to act outraged at him wanting to have sex in a known camping spot.

"No. Carlisle owns the land, I don't think it's legal."

"Why is there a tent then?"

"What?" His body tensed in my arms, his mouth paused above my collar bone and his head finally turned to look at what I saw.

A tent was sitting just past the line of trees that circled the clearing. After letting me down we walked over to it. Edward called hello but no one answered. He popped his head through the opening of it but pulled out quickly screwing his nose up.

"It stinks in there."

Scattered around the tent was a camping stove, a ring of stones containing a burnt out fire and various cooking utensils that obviously hadn't been washed in a while.

"It could have been here for years." I told him. "When was the last time you were up here?"

"I came up the weekend we came home, it wasn't there then. It looks like someone has been living here." His face was creased in thought, the sudden apprehension I saw making me nervous.

"What do we do?" I whispered just as we hear twigs breaking not far from us. He immediately crouched down in front of me; pride wasn't a factor this time as I practically leapt onto his back. We were in motion seconds later.

"We need to go."

I craned my head back to look at what was behind us, no one was in sight yet and the rate Edward was running us both down to the hidden door made it unlikely that I would see anyone. Turning my head back to rest it on his shoulder my eyes once again locked onto something.

Clear, calculating bright blue eyes appraised me until Edward moved us beyond the curve of the hill.

"Hurry."

**A/N: and so we reach the end of another chapter....I sincerely hope that you enjoyed it and if you did would welcome a review...I've had a truly awful week and reviews cheer me up no end and make me want to write quicker too. **

**I calculated that 1 out of every 125 hits has generated a review....I'm an Accounts student - I'm all about the calculations...so if you are that 1 person out of the 125 hits then I love you.**

**Platonically of course...unless you are male and have a jaw that rivals Rob Pattinson in the rugged sexy stakes....in that case we should talk.**


	29. Miss Me?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the goodness associated with it...I own a red satchel that I love more than I should**

**Miss Me?**

**BPOV**

"Where the hell have you two been?" Jasper and Emmett yelled at us in unison, making my already erratic heartbeat stutter all the more with fright.

"Don't fucking yell at us." Edward managed to gasp out. After running solidly for the past twenty minutes with me on his back he was on the point of collapsing. I slid down his back to stand on my own feet and relieve his burden.

"You'd never make it as a soldier." I absentmindedly informed him.

He screwed his face up at me but didn't say anything.

"We went for a walk." I informed the impatiently hovering Emmett and Jasper. "We found some camping gear, I saw someone watch us."

"You what?!" Edward practically screamed at me.

"I didn't want to scare you."

"_You_ didn't want to scare _me_? Jesus Bella, it should be the other way around!"

"Oh for god's sake Edward!" I yelled exasperated. "You would have barely heard me above your laboured breathing. I didn't want your heart to give out completely." He looked at me like I had just ripped his balls off. The adrenaline running around my body was making me a complete cow.

"Well excuse me for trying to get you home safely." He retorted with no emotion in his voice. We scowled at each other for what seemed like an age before Jasper wrapped an arm around me and led me from the room.

Tears threatened to spill out from the prison I currently held them in. Deep gasps broke from my throat and I pushed my face into Jasper's chest.

"Shush Bella." He murmured, circling his palms across my back to calm me.

I could hear Edward and Emmett arguing in the kitchen, their voices too low for me to make out what they were saying. Jasper's hand continued to circle on my back until I was no longer in danger of drowning my face with tears.

"I'm such bitch. He hates me now." I whispered. "I've ruined it."

Jasper pulled me away and looked me straight in the face with an incredulous look plastered all over it. "Are you nuts? He loves the air you breathe. A couple of stupid words said in a moment of tension don't change that."

"I'm so tense today Jas', I don't know what I'm saying half the time."

"Everyone is tense Bells. I can practically taste it in the air. Edward understands." Feeling better I nodded at him.

I walked back into the kitchen and watched as Edward hung up the phone. We looked at each other for a beat before I crossed the room and threw myself into his arms. His hands stroked down my back in a reassuringly familiar gesture.

"I'm sorry."

"Me too." A ghost of a smile crossed his lips before he spoke again. "I phoned your dad, he is sending someone to the meadow to look into it. He's coming here to speak to Esme too."

The thought of my dad being in the vicinity comforted me slightly. Even though things had been less than serene the previous evening I knew he didn't have it in him to be mad at me for long. We loved each other too much for that. When I'm mean my heart aches with it, the guilt is all consuming. So I would say sorry to Charlie when I saw him today. With any luck he would forgive me my transgressions and be able to look me in the eye again.

Edward bundled me down onto his lap and we waited.

"You should have told me you saw someone."

"I didn't know whether it would make you run faster or stop and go back. I didn't want to risk you getting hurt." I admitted. The thought that he would put me down and go back to confront the man had made my heart beat like a hummingbird's.

"I don't know what I would have done either. But I would have made sure you were safe."

"I don't ever doubt that you would keep me safe Edward, but you have to understand that_ your_ safety is tantamount to me, just like mine is to you."

It was half an hour later when Charlie pulled up to the house. Edward held my hand lightly but I pulled my hand out of his and wrenched the front door open to fling myself down to greet my father.

"Dad, I'm so sorry about last night." I made to break our unspoken no hugging agreement for the second time in two days but he put his hand out to prevent me from doing so.

"I'm here in an official capacity Bella." His voice was cold and he wouldn't look me in the eye. I could feel myself looking up at him doe eyed, tears beginning to spill down my cheeks. I hate that I'm a crier. I wish that I was one of those people who needed to be poked in the eye before tears came. As it was I had progressed from being a person who cried when angry to a person who cried at the drop of a fucking hat.

"Fine." Oh there's the anger. Maybe I hadn't deviated too far away from who I really was after all. "So sorry Chief Swan, I mistook you for my father." I sneered at him. "Please won't you come in?" I stormed away and back into Edward's arms, swiping at the tears on my cheeks as I walked. I didn't have to look back to see Charlie wince at my tone.

"Christ Bells, you certainly know how to deliver a low blow." Frowned Emmett when we walked back into the house.

**EPOV**

Bella was getting edgier by the second. There was one way I knew that would relax her but I was pretty sure I couldn't get away with that in a room with her father in it. He was acting downright cold towards Bella and it was making my blood boil. He could be angry and hate _me_ all he wants, just don't take it out on her. Not that she has any issue with taking care of herself; having just witnessed her sneering coldness unleashed upon her dad I was sure of that fact now.

I couldn't help but think about the fact that she had actually seen someone up there. I had mentioned that to Charlie when I asked him to get someone to look up there. He had promised to get one of the officers he called in to help to have a look.

Bella squeezed my hand to bring my attention back to the table. She smiled quickly before placing her gaze upon Charlie.

"I saw someone up there. I didn't see his face, just his eyes. They were bright blue, like Jasper's but...soulless."

"That's all you saw?" She nodded and refused to look at him again.

"I had someone try to find out where the flowers were from." Charlie told us. "We found the shop in Port Angeles, said some guy would come in and buy them. I have the credit card slips."

My heart leapt. Finally some good news, they had to be able to trace this sick bastard from that surely. Bella caught my sudden change in posture and grinned at me. I could see my thoughts reflected in her eyes.

"What's his name?" Emmett asked.

"The card is registered to an Edward Mason."

I felt like I had been slapped.

Bella looked at me like I had grown another head.

"Mason?" She whispered, obviously thinking back to our conversation where I had revealed my birth name to her.

"That can't be right." I stated. Esme looked like she wanted to stand up and come over to me but I winced away slightly, still smarting from the revelations of the other day. Alice and Rosalie had joined us quietly, standing together behind Esme, curious to find out whether some progress had been made.

"That's the information I have Edward."

"Well you can add fraud to this fuckers list of crimes then Chief!" I growled, making everyone wince away from me. "I have one credit card and it's in the name of Cullen. And I'm pretty sure my father isn't using his card where he is right now." My mouth curled without humour, baring my teeth in disgust.

"The clerk gave a description that fitted you." He stared at me. My jaw muscle started to twitch under the pressure I was putting on it by clenching my teeth together. "But we took the CCTV footage and the guy looked nothing like you, he was older for one. We think he was paid a little extra to give an embellished description. I'm getting a picture to bring up so that you can have a look at it."

"Edward..." Esme started towards me.

"Don't _you_ fucking touch me." I suddenly felt like the most repugnant man on earth, she looked like I had slapped her. How can I do this to her? But still I held my ground, my eyes blazing with the thoughts screaming through my head.

"Edward." Bella growled at me, staring me down with her lips pressed tightly into a line and her nostrils flared. "Outside."

We were both still incredibly overwrought.

We had already said things we both wanted to forget today after the meadow.

Things were about to get worse I could tell.

I was suddenly very afraid for my testicles.

She at least waited until we were outside on the deck and the door was closed to hand me my ass on a plate.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" She rounded on me furious.

"How could you do that to Esme?!" There was no pause for me to answer. With every question that I could not answer I sunk lower to the ground.

"Who do you think you are?!"

"That woman loves you and you treat her like that in front of virtual strangers?!"

"Are you not grateful for what she and Carlisle have done for you?!"

"Would you not have at least considered the same course of action if you were the parent?!"

"How do you expect Charlie to respect and like you when you treat your own adoptive mother like a piece of shit on your shoe?!"

Whirling back round to face me she delivered the knockout punch.

"What would your parents think of you now Edward?" She whispered and it had a greater effect than the rest. It was a low blow and one I deserved. I wasn't brought up to treat people like this by either of my mothers.

By the time Bella was finished I was sitting with my back to the wall of the house, staring out across the rolling green land and letting the tears just fall from my eyes not even trying to hide them. All five foot four inches of Bella Swan towered over me.

"I guess maybe I'm not as fixed as I thought I was." I managed to croak out, looking up at her.

"You can't fix asshole." She sniggered at me and right then it was the best sound in the world. "You love Carlisle and Esme." She crouched down in front of me, taking my hands in hers as I nodded in answer even though it was a statement. "They love you very much too. All they have done is try to do the best by you and Emmett."

"I know."

"You need to show that you know Edward. This is hurting you all and I can't stand to watch it."

"I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you." She stood up and pulled my hands with her making me stand up; as soon as I was on my feet her body was pressed into mine. Resting my chin on the top of her head I sighed and closed my eyes.

"It's not _me_ you're hurting."

She was right. Of course she was right. I was being a shit and it was going to stop.

Purposefully I walked back into the house. Apprehensive eyes watched my movements. They had clearly all watched Bella yell at me through the glass and were now wondering just how that was going to play out back in the house. Esme sat at the head of the table, her eyes full of tears, her spirit barely alive. I hated that I could have caused any of that.

"Esme, I am so sorry." I told her sincerely. "None of this is your fault and I've behaved appallingly. Please forgive me."

"Of course." Unconditional forgiveness. This woman truly was my mother now. She wrapped me up in the arms that had comforted me more than once since childhood and I felt better almost immediately. I could only hope the same could be said of her. "Thank you Bella."

**BPOV**

I wish it was as easy shouting some sense into Charlie. Edward's belligerence was truly grating on me and the way he spoke to Esme made me ashamed of him. Thankfully that lasted only minutes, my rage diminished after screaming at him on the deck. The happiness I felt being around him resumed when he apologised to Esme. Sometimes all it takes is a good kick up the arse.

Charlie watched us the whole time we were outside. His eyes never leaving my rigid stance and Edward submitting to the full force of my wrath. If there was a part of him that worried I was going to be controlled by Edward it was truly quashed in that moment. I knew that he was still plotting to take me away from this house though. He was as easy to read as I was sometimes.

After Edward apologised to Esme he pulled me back onto his lap and we listened as she relayed the story to Charlie to ensure he had all the facts. I'd never seen Charlie in full on work mode and as much as I was hurt and annoyed by him I was also impressed. He would write things onto a notepad making links and, I could only hope, putting it all together. His eyes shone with the knowledge that he could help someone in their time of need.

"We can pretty much discount any involvement of the family that killed you parents." Charlie announced to Edward. "If they had wanted you out of the way it would be done already." He stated bluntly. "Besides, blaming a mob family would be far too simple. This person does have a connection to you though." His hand rubbed along his moustache thoughtfully. "I'll work it out." With a nod he stood up and finally looked me in the eye. "Bella could I have a word?"

We walked out the cruiser in silence. Edward had motioned that he would come with me but I shook my head. After placing his notepad into the car he turned to me.

"I want you home."

"No." I knew this was coming. I shrugged slightly when I shook my head at him, taking a step back.

"Yes. I am your father and you will do what you are told Isabella!"

"I didn't realise that being my father made you my dictator. I'm safer here than I would be at home. Alone."

"You aren't going to do what I ask are you?"

"No." His shoulders slumped and when he looked at me he suddenly looked tired.

"You love him." His eyes flicked back to the house, to Edward standing at the window and back to me as I nodded. I could tell he was wondering how long Edward and I had been seeing each other, how long I had been keeping this from him. "He is replacing your bed." Charlie grumbled having run out of any arguments as to why I would be better off at him.

"He already offered."

"A single."

"I want a double." May as well go for broke at this point. His cheeks puffed out in annoyance, obviously thinking about my reasoning for a double bed and trying to work out if he could swap his shifts so that I would never be alone in the house with Edward and a double bed.

"You'll phone me if you need anything." Ignoring the bed issue he carried on talking. "If you see anything I want to know. I'll be sending someone up to watch over the house."

"Dad, is there a chance that this is an overreaction of epic proportions?"

"The more I find out the less likely that is." My hopeful breath rushed out of me leaving me deflated. "Don't worry." He took a step towards me and gave a quick kiss on the crown of my head. "Love you Bells."

"You too Dad." I watched him climb into the car and drive out of sight.

That went better than I expected. Edward was behind me when I turned back to walk to the house. His stealth knows no bounds apparently.

"Do you ever wish that you could wake up and start the day all over again?" He asked me, looking out into the trees. "I'd do anything to take back the way I acted today." Sighing he slung an arm over my shoulder.

"It's been a jittery couple of days. But on the plus side you get to buy me a new _double_ bed." I smacked his behind and skipped away. Slowly his head turned towards me. My heart started to beat a little bit faster when I saw the mischievous look in his eye.

"Is that right?" His full body turned towards me and I scanned for the quickest route back to the house. "And what, pray tell, would the benefit of that be?" His head cocked to the side awaiting my answer.

"I was thinking sleep, though I'm sure you could introduce me to some more...stimulating...activities." Grinning I ran back to the house but was no match for the speed and agility of Edward. His hands clasped onto my hips and he swung me round to face him as I giggled.

"You always make me smile." He told me before capturing my bottom lip between his teeth.

"I prefer to make you moan." I tried out a seductive tone but ruined it by getting a fit of the giggles halfway through the sentence.

"That was convincing."

"Shut up and do me." Shaking my head and suppressing a smile I gazed up at him. He snorted out a laugh but it was quickly dampened by his realisation that I was serious. Without another word he hauled me up over his shoulder like a caveman and stalked into the house. The move had melted any useful muscles in my legs so even though I protested meekly at the treatment there was no way I would stay upright if he relented and put me down.

"Where are you two going?" Emmett inquired.

"Bedroom." Edward had turned into a monosyllabic caveman and it was seriously turning me on.

"Why?"

"Sex."

"Edward!" My voice wasn't the only on to cry his name in indignation. Alice, Rosalie and Esme sat behind Emmett with their mouths open. I'm surprised we didn't hear the thuds of their jaws hitting the floor. Edward slowly placed me on my feet and I hid my face in his chest, certain that the heat from my face was going to make me spontaneously combust in front of everyone.

"I was kidding." He laughed out convincingly. "Bella was reluctant to do some school work so I was merely convincing her to do it by carrying her."

Five eyebrows rose at once.

"Biology?" Emmett sniggered whilst appraising my alluring shade of purple.

"Something like that." Edward laughed, yanking on my hand to pull me up the stairs.

**EPOV**

Maybe it wasn't that clever of me to announce without ambiguity about what Bella and I were going to my room for but I had tunnel vision. I could think of nothing else but throwing her onto my bed and following her order of "do me". After spouting an unconvincing lie about homework I almost yanked her arm out the socket in my hurry to get her into my bedroom.

When I was sure we were out of sight of everyone I pinned her against a wall and assaulted her mouth with my own to make her forget all about the embarrassment I was sure was coursing through her body. Her hands quickly found my ass and pushed me further into her. I was so hard for her that there couldn't have been blood anywhere else in my body. There certainly wasn't any in my head when I ripped off my t-shirt and threw it away from me. Jasper and Emmett let out loud barks of laughter when I heard the soft thwump of fabric landing on the floor.

"You just threw that downstairs." Bella murmured against my neck, her tongue circling across the soft skin making me shiver.

"I don't give a shit." I growled out, pulling her legs up to wrap around my waist, my hips already starting their primal thrusting against her. With my fingers kneading her ass I half walked half stumbled us up to my room. Pushing her up against my bedroom door I grazed across her neck making her mewl at me and yank on my hair making me moan against the soft sensitive skin at the back of her ear.

With every fibre of my being I fought against bending her over the bed and spearing my throbbing cock into her when we finally made it through the door. My hands continued playing grab ass as her fingers stroked against my back and her nails scraped teasingly against the skin. Turning us towards the bed I threw her down onto it before yanking at the bottom of her shirt, eager to get it off her torso. She pulled it over her head but before it was even over her forehead my hands were on her tits, pulling them out of the cups of her bra and swooping my mouth down onto her straining nipples.

Circling my tongue across the pebbled surfaces I bit down softly making her arch her back to push them further into my face. My hand groped at the other one like an inexperienced fourteen year old but I didn't care for technique becuase I was so consumed by my pulsing _need_ for her. Fingers tugged on my hair, sending fresh blood straight down to my cock. Shit I love it when she does that.

Our mouths met again in a ferocious clashing of tongues and lips, sliding my hands round her I managed to unclasp her bra and pull it away from her body completely with her help. She lay topless on the bed beneath me and I couldn't help but pause and stare at her.

Part of me still couldn't believe that this vibrant, gorgeous, intelligent and sexy woman wanted _me_. Just as much as I wanted her. It was a complete mystery but one I didn't care about the answer for, so long as she did that was all I cared about. I sat straddling her, my hands palming her tits, my tongue delving down to take the peaks into my mouth to make her gasp and moan. Her hips bucked up at me persistently and I edged down her body, my tongue claiming every piece of skin it came across until I reached the waistband of her jeans.

Making fast work of her button and zip I yanked them down off her legs, exposing the blue lace boy shorts she was soaking through with her desire for me. The blue made her skin luminescent and I had to pause again to soak in the sight of her below me. Impatiently she nudged me with her foot.

"Get to it." She grinned up at me sexily.

"You don't have to tell me twice.

I kissed up her thighs, relishing the tremble in them, until I reached the point where her legs stopped and happiness began. Grazing my fingers across the fabric I let a low groan escape me when I felt how much she wanted me, my cock twitched in my pants eager to make contact.

"You're so wet for me." I moaned before impatiently tugging her underwear down her thighs and off her legs completely. Kissing back up her thighs I delved my tongue straight down onto her clit, making her cry out beneath me, bucking her hips up at my mouth. "You taste like heaven." I told her as I slid my tongue down the silky slit towards her throbbing pussy.

I licked back up towards her clit; my fingers teasing her entrance before sliding into the tight wet haven, making my cock twitch all the more in jealousy. She was squeezing and pulsing around my fingers as my teeth grazed across her clit, my mouth clamping around it, sucking and humming to send vibrations through her.

"Edward." She had a knack of making my name sound like a sexual cry to arms. My fingers continued to pump in and out of her, her hands fisted in my hair and I knew she was on the edge. I lazily stroked my tongue across her clit again before biting down gently, pushing her over the edge. She clamped down onto my fingers, every muscle inside her pulsing against the curved solidness of them.

I had my jeans off in seconds as she trembled beneath me, my cock springing free and aching with the all consuming fucking _need _to be inside her. As I rolled a condom down my length her eyes found focus once again and she reached out for me, her gaze locked onto mine, a grin so sexy smeared across her contented face. I slid my body up against her own, my hands ghosting across her hips and tits until our faces were level. Her tongue flicked out and licked my lips, pulling me closer as her hand snaked down my torso and grasped me firmly.

My face dropped to her neck with the sensation of it, breathing heavily against her neck I moaned out. She slid the tip across her clit, jutting her groin up at me again, before easing me down the length of her slit and positioning me at her wet and ready entrance.

"I want you so bad." I groaned between the light kisses I was placing up and down her neck.

"You have me." She whispered into my ear, her hands let me go and pressed onto my ass, encouraging me to push into her. I sank into her as far as I could go, feeling her flex and stretch and throb against me as she took the length of me with a gasp.

If it was this good with a condom on it was going to be painfully good without one.

Our lips clamped onto each other when I pulled out and sank back into her with more force, the primal urge to take her reclaiming its position at the wheel of my blood deprived brain. Her teeth bit down onto my shoulder as I pumped in and out of her, feeling her walls clench against my twitching cock. I thrust harder, deeper, faster, making her moan my name as I grunted her own. Unintelligible words shot out of my mouth until I shouted in release as I emptied myself into the end of the condom, wishing it was emptying straight into her.

Exhausted I collapsed down onto her, careful to not crush her beneath me. Our hearts beating against each other, finding a rhythm. Kissing along Bella's collar bone I looked up at her with a pathetically adoring look on my face which made her smile softly at me.

"You think they all know?"

"Do you really care after that?" Grinning we looked at each other.

"Nah."

We lay against one another just fucking _basking_ in afterglow. Occasionally Bella would take in a gulp of air like she was about to say something but would expel it with a little shake of her head until I finally asked what she was thinking like some needy chick.

"How many others have there been?" She asked shyly after a moments thinking.

"Not counting you? Six I think."

"You think?" Her voice was soft, it sounded a little defeated if anything.

"I wasn't counting Bella. If you mean people who meant something then that would be one. That would be_ you_." I told her passionately, sitting my chin gently on her chest and watching her face.

"Who were they?"

"Moments I'd rather forget ever happened. Moments of weakness and loneliness. Moments that left me feeling disgusted with myself."

It was true, in moments of desperation and more often than not drunkenness I had succumbed to the overwhelming desire within me to make a connection. Make some sort of statement that I wasn't as alone as I was making out.

"If I could take it back Bella I would. If I could have given myself to you completely untainted then I would. But it was before I even knew something like this could exist for me." I gestured between us to make it clear I was talking about us. "You were with Newton, I don't let that bother me."

Much.

"How the hell do you know that? It was nothing. A moment of stupidity."

"You know what I mean then. Everything before...it just doesn't even compare to what we have. I love you, I can't even explain how much Bella. It just _consumes_ me." I blurted out, desperate to make her understand.

"Well, I can hardly be pissed when you say stuff like that to me." Her face was suddenly lit up by a beautiful smile that I found myself returning. "I love you too." Her fingers traced across the line of my jaw.

"Signed, sealed, delivered I'm yours Bella."

"That's pretty corny Edward." She giggled.

"Not when it's Peter Frampton."

"I'll let it slide, but only because it's Frampton." She rolled her eyes and grinned down at me, conceding my point. "I'm hungry, can we go get some food?"

"You'll need to stop grinning like a post coital Cheshire cat then, or they'll never believe we were studying."

"Yeah because it was so convincing after you threw your shirt down the stairs." She snorted.

* * *

When we finally surfaced from my room we spent the rest of the afternoon with everyone else. A whole afternoon of playing cards and watching Bella sweep her hair away from her face. When she ran her fingers down her neck without thinking I almost threw her across my shoulder again. Her teeth would bite into her bottom lip when she got a card she didn't want and I wanted it to be my teeth.

A car had drawn up earlier, police lights spinning on the top to let us know it was the guy Charlie had sent to watch over us. Carlisle had arrived home and I asked to speak to him. With a nod he walked to his office and I followed.

"I want to apologise Carlisle. You don't deserve my wrath."

"In a way we do Edward, which is why we accepted it without rebuttal. Your assumption that we were going to tell you both that we had to leave was correct, but we realise now that you both have stronger ties to Forks than we had presumed."

"It's happened so fast Carlisle. Bella. She took me by surprise." He nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes, I can see that, she was a surprise to us all. Esme called me earlier today." His fingers steepled and he peered over at me. "She told me about Bella taking you outside to talk."

"Talking is one word for it. Yelling would be more apt. She was furious with me."

"Things are still tense?"

"No, she showed me the errors of my ways and as soon as I apologised we were fine." No, things were definitely not tense. My mind flashed to her face as she had clamped and shivered beneath me.

There was a knock on the door before we could talk any further. Bella popped her head in apologetically.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt but I need to go home to pick up some things. I forgot my charger and I'd prefer to have it so that Charlie can call me." She shrugged. "No one else has the type I need."

"I'll take you." I started to stand but she shook her head.

"If I could just borrow your car? I'll be back soon." I threw my keys over and to my shock she caught them without looking. She shot me a grin of surprise before her head disappeared back behind the door and it was shut softly.

"You'll let her drive your car?" Carlisle asked in amusement, knowing that it was the possession I treasured most.

"What's the worst that can happen?"

**BPOV**

I know Edward loves his car but right at the moment the tyre burst a couple of miles from my house I have to say I hate it with a fiery passion that can only be equalled by my infinite love of all things touched by Dave Grohl. Of course at this point the faithful Forks weather would conspire to kick me in the ass also.

All I had wanted was my charger. How difficult should that be?

I couldn't even call someone to pick me up because my battery was completely dead. Tossing the phone into the back seat I considered my options. Rain drove violently down onto the windscreen taunting me with the fact that I was going to have to brave it.

Dammit.

I trudged along the road, stamping my feet into puddles with annoyance like a toddler would for fun. Boots should be uniform in Forks. As soon as you pass the town limits there should be a stall handing them out for free.

No cars passed me stomping along the road for twenty minutes until finally I saw headlights in the distance. The car slowed when it reached me giving me time to recognise it and curse my bad luck.

"Bella?" Mike Newton stopped the car beside me and shouted out the window.

"What?"

"Do you need a ride home?" His voice was deceptively concerned.

"No, I decided to go for a walk." I told him tersely before walking forward.

"I saw Cullen's car. You get a flat? Where is he?" Before waiting for an answer he continued on. "I wanted to apologise to you."

"Really?" My eyebrow raised on its own with scepticism.

"Yeah, come on. I'll have you home in five minutes."

"You keep your hands to yourself Newton or I'll rip them off." I growled as I hopped into the passenger seat.

He drove us in silence towards my house. Edward would kill me if he found out I had accepted a ride from Newton. He would already be worrying about me and I needed to get to a phone as quickly as possible. Newton kept stealing looks at me from the corner of his eye. His face was still covered in fading bruises from the weekend.

"I'm sorry." He blurted at me, turning the wheel and slowing down to stop outside my house.

"You should be."

"I like you. More than like you Bella." His fingers twitched on the wheel like he was fighting touching me. "I want you to be my girl."

"I'm someone else's Mike." Rolling my eyes my hand slid onto the handle, ready to pull and climb out the car.

"Why won't you choose me?"

"It was never a choice." I told him as gently as I could without my general annoyance seeping into my tone. "You used to be a nice guy, but I never wanted you."

"You could learn." I couldn't help it when a snort escaped through my lips. Shaking my head I turned to him.

"No. I'm with Edward. I love Edward."

"You can't love him, you've known him barely a month! It's infatuation."

"You don't know shit." I spat out. His hands released the wheel and gripped my wrist. "Let go of me." My other hand released the handle and swung round to connect with his face. "In future don't even look at me." I wrenched my wrist away from him and threw myself out of the car.

I knew I should have brought Alice with me.

I let myself into the house, locking the door behind me. Leaning back on it I let out a deep sigh and closed my eyes.

Every time my eyes blinked shut since this afternoon I saw those eyes. Those bright blue eyes staring back at me. They were devoid of anything. It didn't look like there was any compassion or love or happiness anywhere in them. Now they were tattooed on the inside of my eyelids and I couldn't stop thinking about them.

Ignoring the movement I heard outside I headed into the kitchen. I heard Newton shout something but I wasn't going to give him the time of day. He had a chance to apologise, to make things right and he just can't control himself. I wasn't going to afford him anymore of my time. He doesn't deserve it.

I noticed my hand shaking when I pulled a drink out of the fridge. The cold that was seeping into my bones was becoming more obvious.

A nice long steaming hot shower is what I needed.

I had already stepped under the soothing hot spray of water when I remembered I hadn't phoned Edward to tell him about the flat tyre.

It could wait.

**EPOV**

Carlisle and I talked for almost two hours after Bella left to go get her charger. I confided in him about the dreams in the hope that he could shed some light on the situation.

"Considering that you did indeed meet her before I could only suppose that your mind projected an imagined version of what she would look like now."

"Like the computers that age people on the basis of their face shape and lifestyle?"

"Yes." He nodded at me. It made sense, but the timing didn't.

"Why would I have started dreaming about her 3 months before I even knew we were moving back to Forks?"

"Three months? You perhaps sub consciously picked up on signals from Esme and myself that indicated to you that we would be moving again. You could have been attuned to the tensions that would lead to our decisions to move."

That makes sense. I could have become aware of the silent indicators that we would be moving again without even realising it. Though why I would just assume it was back to Forks subconsciously or not I have no idea.

I felt lighter after talking to Carlisle; he had a knack of breaking things down to the most plausible of explanations. Walking into the kitchen where everyone else was sat chatting and laughing I expected to be greeted with Bella's smile. She wasn't at the table so I padded silently out of the room and headed up to my bedroom in the hope that she had snuck back and was lying in wait for me to follow her earlier instruction. The thought of that alone made me take the stairs two at a time.

She wasn't in my room.

My chest was starting to feel a little tight.

I hurried down stairs to look for her again. She had to be back by now. It doesn't take that long to get to her house and pick up a phone charger. Emmett looked up when I stumbled down the last couple of stairs in my haste.

"Edward?" Jasper was staring at me.

"Bella not back?" I tried to keep my voice calm. I didn't want to be seen to be overreacting. There was no need to worry just because she hadn't returned.

"Not yet. I'll call her." Emmett picked up the phone and punched in her number, frowning as he listened to whatever was going on in the earpiece. "Voicemail." He shrugged.

"I think I'm going to go for a drive." They both stood up and followed me through to the garage.

"Jasper?" Alice called through bewildered.

"We'll be back in a bit Al'." He replied as we piled into Esme's Mercedes, the only car that would take one of us comfortably in the back seat. Emmett had to have the only Jeep made that sits only two people. Surely that defeats the purpose of the machine?

Before I could reverse out of the garage Carlisle walked casually in and climbed into the back beside Jasper.

"Going for a drive?"

"Bella isn't back yet."

"Off we go then."

Having Carlisle in the car was a vague hindrance. I couldn't drive as I normally would because he would no doubt have something to say about the speed I was comfortable driving at. We sat in silence for twenty minutes before Emmett leaned forward and squinted through the rain at my car sitting abandoned on the side of the road. It was empty so I didn't stop.

"It looks like one of your tyres is blown." Jasper told me.

"Dude, do you think she walked in the rain?"

"What other option did she have?"

"Knowing Bella she has broken her ankle by now."

That was a valid point. I slowed to a crawl and told them to keep an eye out for her just in case she was lying incapacitated at the side of the road. I was turning seriously paranoid thanks to the past few days and I wouldn't be calm until she was near me, until I could hear her heart beat.

When we got to her house there was a car at the end of her drive blocking in the truck she so desperately loved. It was familiar but I couldn't place it until I saw the person sitting in it.

"Newton." I growled. Jasper cursed under his breath and leapt from the car, storming over to where Newton was sitting. He swung the door open, stuck his head down into it and recoiled like he had been punched in the stomach. He pulled back so quickly and hard he landed on his ass on the grass, eyes wide and his normally pale skin turning a distinct shade of green that I could see even through the thick blanket of rain.

"Jasper?" I called, climbing out of the Mercedes and walking over to him followed by the others.

He didn't reply.

Instead he pointed into the car he was unable to look away from.

I almost threw up and ended up on my ass beside Jasper when I looked inside. It looked like every surface in the car was sprayed with a thick sticky sauce that I recognised as blood. Newton's eyes were milky and vacant, staring at nothing. There was a sickeningly vicious looking slash across his neck. It stretched from ear to ear. The headlights from Esme's car illuminated the scene with a sickeningly surreal softness.

Images flashed through my head of my Dad lying on the bathroom floor staring up vacantly at my Mom in the bath.

Carlisle was checking impotently for a pulse. We all knew there was no point. The amount of blood spilled over the interior of the car made it obvious that Newton was no more. It felt like I sat there forever with the faces of my parents blighting my vision until I remembered why we were there.

Bella.

Where was she?

Running into the house I called her name. The front door was unlocked and the back door was wide open. Emmett was a step behind me calling out. He ran through the back door into the garden as I made it to the top of the stairs in three lunges.

She wasn't there.

"Emmett?! Is she out there?" I was becoming frantic, my hands tugged violently on the ends of my hair. Pinching the bridge of my nose I ran down the stairs and collided with Jasper.

"Where is she?" He demanded.

"Not in the house."

"Or the garden." Emmett added when he ran back in.

"Call Charlie. I'm going home." I ran out before they could answer me. Ignoring Carlisle calling my name I launched myself into the car and tore away from the house.

She could have turned back and walked to the mansion instead of walking to her house. She could have called Charlie from the house and had him bring her back safely. I'll walk in the house and she'll be sitting with Alice and Rosalie, laughing and joking. She'll greet me with a smile and wrap her arms around me, sinking her little hands into my hair and tell me she loves me.

My thumbs drummed on the steering wheel impatiently.

How could all this happen?

I had brought this to her door.

This was my fault.

I should never have broken my resolve and spoken to her.

I was weak and she was going to pay the price for that.

The house was in darkness when I pulled up in front of it. That was my first indication that something was wrong. The second was that police cruiser was no longer out the front. There was no friendly small town cop drinking a coffee and watching the house to protect the inhabitants from some deranged sociopath. It hadn't occurred to me to check it was there when we left. How long it had been gone I had no clue.

Fuck!

I was in way over my head. Where's my phone? My hands patted my body down but I didn't find my phone. I'd let Bella take it back to the spare room when she left my bed this morning. I threw my head back and let the rain wash down my face. Sighing deeply I let my gaze travel across the windows, searching for movement.

I had to go in and find Esme, Alice and Rosalie. I had to phone for help. I had to make sure Bella wasn't in there.

As silently as I could I walked in through the garage. I was beginning to feel like a cop on a bad TV show the way I had my back to the wall, sliding along to the door leading to the kitchen. I peeked my head round and pulled back. I didn't see anyone. I hurried through the doorway and placed my back to the wall again to listen.

There was no point in listening for any noises.

All the damn rooms were soundproofed. That didn't seem like the neatest idea all of a sudden.

I was torn between running straight for my room or starting to check through the house for someone.

If they walk in right now with handfuls of junk food and some DVD's I think I may just have to cry. Of course that didn't seem likely now that I was finding dead bodies littered all over Forks.

I tiptoed past the door to the entertainment room and paused. After tugging on my hair I pushed down the handle as quietly as I could manage. Thankfully the stairs don't creak, but I was at the point of begging inside for some sort of noise to shatter the overbearing silence swirling around me. It occurred to me that my nose made a noise with every third breath I took. The sound of me swallowing dryly echoed through the room.

My foot stepped down onto the plush carpet.

My hand flicked on the lights.

My eyes widened when I saw Alice, Rosalie and Esme lying bound and still on the couches lining the walls.

Rushing over I checked their pulses, one after the other. They were all breathing but they all had identical trickles of blood running down across their foreheads. I had seen too much blood this evening.

Bella wasn't there.

"Good of you to finally show up to save the day." A deep voice said conversationally from behind me.

"Where the fuck is Bella?" I roared as I spun round to pounce at whoever was in the room with me.

"I wouldn't worry about Bella, Edward, I'll make sure she's _safe_." He sneered and I stopped in my tracks when I saw the man in front of me. He focussed his blue eyes on my face as I took in the familiar blondish hair, the scar across his mouth, the cadence of his voice.

"James?"

With a step towards me that I couldn't flinch away from because I was just dumb-fucking-founded he raised his hand and the baseball bat he held within it.

_My_ fucking baseball bat.

With a violent swing it seemed I no longer had the mental faculties to dodge he brought it down across the side of my head leaving me swaying on the spot before tumbling head first into blackness.

"Miss me?"

**A/N: Enjoy it? Review it. **

**Some of you clever folks voiced your suspicions that it would James, so well done, I don't have a prize for you or anything but you can bask in your superior guessing skills. **

**And thanks to all who expressed sympathy about my bad week...the reviews most definitely helped out. **

**Updates won't be as quick because I'm back to college next week after Easter break...but I'll neglect it something wicked anyway to wrap this up so don't worry. **


	30. Hunt the Wabbit

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or anything associate to it...I own all the Lego Genre video games. **

**Hunt the Wabbit**

**BPOV**

Water needled down onto my shoulders and I felt the last of the tension drift out of my body. Finally my bones began to feel less chilled from the soaking I received from the vicious driving rain that I had to walk through. Wrapping myself in a towel I walked through to my room. Bits of bed and flowers still littered the floor, careful not to stand on any stray thorns in my bare feet I pulled on some clothes and looked around. It was going to take forever to sort through the mess.

At least this way I get a new bed. I've wanted a new bed for months. Edward going Chuck Norris on its ass is perhaps not the best way to get one but there is a positive side to anything if you look hard enough. Rain lashed across the closed window. It's definitely going to be locked at all times from now on. I always used to think that being on the first floor I was completely safe. I would always leave my window open. I'm the Chief of Police's daughter for Christ sake. You had to have a death wish to climb in uninvited.

I hate that suddenly my safety was an issue. I'd never felt so vulnerable in my whole life. Quickly I became anxious that I had made this journey alone. It was stupid of me to refuse Edward's offer to come with me. To refuse everyone with my overly confident swagger and flippant disregard of their worry.

A shiver flew up my spine and I quickly pulled on a pair of woolly socks.

I was a true moron of epic proportions.

I was getting spooked and that was stupid. Shaking my head and rolling my eyes I let out a deep breath of annoyance and hurried down the stairs, thankful that I had locked the door behind me. The house was eerily silent. For some reason my heart rate increased and I couldn't calm it. I was like a dog sensing an earthquake.

Something was wrong.

I picked up the phone and hurriedly stabbed in Edward's number desperate to hear his dulcet tones through the phone line. Only there was nothing. The rational part of my brain tried to tell me that the lines were down. It was blowing a gale outside so something must have done down. The hugely irrational and self preserving part of my brain started to scream. Grabbing my keys and phone charger I yanked open the door and ran directly into a man's chest.

"Ooof." I staggered back trying desperately to not lose my balance, arms wind milling at my sides. Strong hands reached out to steady me.

"Sorry Miss Swan. Your Dad asked me to check on you." My eyes swept across the police uniform and badge, noting the police car sitting on the street. His face was covered by the hat pulled down tightly across his head to stop it blowing off in the wind. Glancing behind him I saw Newton's car blocking my truck in the drive.

"Great." I huffed.

"Sorry?" His head shook slightly with confusion.

"Him." I pointed. "Blocking my truck in. I need to get it out."

"There's no one in that car miss, I checked before I came to the door."

"Well that's just brilliant isn't it?" I asked him rhetorically. Smiling at my frustration he lifted his head and looked me in the eye.

Run.

My head was screaming at me to run.

Run as fast and as hard as I could.

My eyes widened in shock before I could control the impulse and he saw it. The smile on his face turned cruel and mocking as I spun away from him. He was blocking the front exit but I just had to get to the back door and disappear into the trees. As useless an athlete that I normally am the adrenaline coursing through my body made me even more inept. I crashed against the wall and jarred my hip against the kitchen table as I ran through the house. Fully aware that he was, at most, 20 seconds behind me.

My hands stretched out in front of me to touch the lock of the door, the key was sitting in it already and I turned it as quickly as I could whilst the other hand yanked down on the handle. My elbow swung back violently with the force of my actions and connected with his stomach. Cursing behind me he reached out his hand and pulled on my arm sending me spinning into the door. Blood filled my mouth as I reeled stunned from the impact of my face with the door.

I could see the trees. I just had to get to the trees. My eyes were blurring and stinging with angry tears. Slipping my arms out of his grasp as he tried to gather his breath I ran again, determined to get to the end of the garden.

Why hadn't I brought the bag Charlie gave me?

Stupid.

Boots hit the ground as I ran like a toddler across the wet grass. Wind and rain pounded onto my face, plastering my hair across my eyes. Approaching the small fence that marked the boundary of the garden I braced myself to launch across it and be swallowed into the black safety it would afford.

I knew these woods like the back of my hand now. Once inside there I would be able to escape and double back round to the police station. Whose uniform is he wearing? The realisation that someone could have been hurt for him to get it made me hesitate and look over my shoulder.

We locked eyes, his blank blue ones against my frantic brown, both of us wearing a sneer. It was the second that made all the difference, he threw his body against mine bringing me down to the soggy ground. With a scream I fell under him. Vomit forced its way up through my throat as my leg refused to follow the trajectory of the rest of my body and the pain shot through me.

His weight had me pinned to the grass and I looked desperately around to find a window with a light on at the neighbours.

Nothing. Every window was black except the ones in my house. The door standing wide open taunting me with the illusion of warmth and safety and somewhere to retreat to.

Finally finding focus after the initial pain from my leg subsided I began to struggle. My fists beating ineffectually against his solid chest as I tried desperately to get away. Not that I could run anymore thanks to the insistent pulsing pain running up and down my right leg.

"Don't struggle Bella." He addressed my ear, his face only an inch away from touching my skin.

"Get off you me you giant fucktard." I screamed, no longer capable of thinking of a better insult. His gentle laugh clashed fiercely against the determined look on his face I could see now that he had pulled away from my own slightly.

"How about this?" He began like we were old friends having a jokey argument about the last slice of pizza. "You stop struggling and I won't kill your friend Alice."

"I will _kill_ _you_ if you touch anyone I love." I hissed out between gritted teeth, my jaw clenched so tightly that it felt like it would break.

"Not good enough for you?" He pursed his lips out a little and thought for a second. "How about I let Alice live and only maim Rosalie then? She could do with learning that life isn't quite as sweet when you don't have your looks to open doors."

My heart beat rapidly in my chest as tears streamed down my face.

"Don't have a response to that little offer?" He looked down at me curiously, watching the tears burst away from the confines of my eyes. His face edged ever closer as he watched fascinated by my frustration and anger. For the second time that day an unwelcome tongue stroked across my cheek, I snapped out with my teeth trying to hurt him to get him to let me go. "Mmm, salty. Now now. Disappointing. I think we will have to rework our "who won't be killed" deal."

"Edward." I whispered, unaware I was even doing it.

"No deal. He is definitely _not _up for negotiation." Gripping my wrists in his hands he crouched in front of me, his movement feline and threatening. He stood slowly, pulling me to my feet like it was the most normal thing in the world to him. I cried out with pain when I tried to put weight onto my right leg. He cocked his head and frowned a little. "Did I do that?"

His concern was genuine and laughable. Staring at him like he was a sociopath I responded with as much venom as I could muster.

"I think when you tackled me to the fucking ground you almost broke my leg."

"Almost? Huh. The night isn't over yet."

With that he yanked me forward towards god knows what.

**EPOV**

Throb.

Throb throb.

Throb throb throb.

"Fucking ow."

I was shocked by the sudden break in silence until I realised it was me that had spoken. I went to run my hand across the aching point on my skull but didn't get very far because the fucker had bound my wrists. And my ankles.

I was trussed up like a pig about to be spit roast.

I wasn't going to let that happen.

James had shocked the shit right out of me. I hadn't seen him since the night I went back to collect my pathetic amount of stuff from the Cope's house. When the wound that he gave me on my back was still raw and sore. Mrs Cope sat him downstairs as I threw clothes and books into a duffle bag. Carlisle and Esme sat patiently waiting for me, making polite but cold small talk with them until I reappeared dragging my bag behind me.

James had sat sneering at us all, another spark of life dying out in his eyes.

Shit.

What the fuck was going on here?

Other noises began to claw through my fuzzy head, I became aware of muffled shouts from across the room. My mouth wasn't covered with anything. Peering through the darkness I could make out Esme shifting on one of the sofas. Why hadn't he moved us? The others would be back soon. Perhaps he's so deranged that he doesn't care?

Maybe that's what he is waiting for.

Where's Bella?

"Bella!" I roared out, ripping my throat with the force. "Bella!"

Nothing.

I hauled myself across the room on my elbows to get to Esme and the others. I don't know what James has been up to these intervening years but whatever it was didn't involve studying home invasion 101. My hands were bound in front of my body, making it easy for me to pull away the tape covering Esme's mouth.

"Are you ok?" Was the first thing she whispered.

"Never mind me, are you ok?"

"I'll be fine once we are all safe. The man, Edward, is that the boy who...?"

"Stabbed me." I finished her sentence. "Yeah."

"What does he want?" I slid over to Rosalie and Alice, both lying still on the sofa opposite.

"To finish the job?" I mumbled without humour. "I don't know. These two will be fine. He has Bella." I told her.

"Are you sure?"

"It's pretty fucking concrete at this point Esme." My teeth found purchase on the tape around my wrists and I started pulling at it like a rabid dog to get my hands free.

"What are we going to do?"

"I'm going to try to get you free and I want you to get help. Get Charlie."

A door opened quietly above us, feet lightly landing on the steps as if the person didn't have a care in the world. My hands still weren't free and I was running out of time. The sound of ripping tape filled the room and the footsteps paused momentarily before he launched down the remaining steps and landed solidly on the floor.

"Tsk tsk Edward. Trying to free yourself? I'm disappointed in you."

"Fuck off." I mumbled through a mouthful of tape, my eyes never leaving his face, still fighting to get my hands unbound. His eyes widened in amusement and he casually walked towards me.

"Anymore off that and I'll start giving you incentive to behave." He walked past me and stroked a finger down Esme's cheek making her flinch away in disgust.

"You lay a finger on me again and you'll lose it." She hissed, proud and fierce.

"What is it with the women in your life threatening me? Honestly." He threw his hands up in exasperation. "First your lovely Bella, now your lovely mother."

Bella.

Where was she?

"You do realise that my other son and husband will be back soon don't you?"

"Don't you worry about that, a nice little car crash has made sure they won't be disturbing my work this evening. It's surprisingly easy to run a car off the road." He looked thoughtfully up to the ceiling as if replaying it in his mind. Esme gasped out a little breath of shock and my stomach felt like it had vacated my body.

"Where's Bella?" I growled. Terror was gripping and squeezing at me. There is nothing else. I was losing everything. So long as nobody else was hurt tonight I would take whatever was about to come. If it meant saving the people I loved I was going to sit and absorb every little bit of pain.

"Somewhere." Was the only reply I got to that question.

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"I always knew you were a fucking sociopath." I hissed at him, frustrated beyond words at my current inability to do anything helpful for the people around me.

"What gave you that impression? Was it when I stabbed you with a bread knife? Or before that when I held your head under the water in the bath?"

"I guess they were both hints, yeah." I retorted sarcastically.

"So, this is what's going to happen. You, Edward are going to come with me. If you play along then the only person who gets hurt is you."

"This isn't a game James. You can't play with people's lives!"

"Oh I beg to differ. This is the ultimate game. You follow the rules or your family dies while you watch. And you don't want to imagine what poor Bella will suffer if you don't behave."

"You're sick." Esme spluttered from behind us.

"Sick. Y'know what? That's what the doctor said, just before I cut his throat."

**BPOV **

What the hell is that smell?

A smell of weeks old socks, sweat and rotting food assaulted my nostrils and I crinkled my nose in disgust. Pain throbbed through my leg when I sat up. My hands were bound in front of me, so were my feet. I turned my head and it slid down canvas material making a zzzzzp noise that made me jump. I could hear the noises of nocturnal animals scurrying around and it hit me where I was.

I was at the meadow.

In the tent we found there.

My fingers worked quickly on the tape around my ankles, the sounds of tape ripping echoed around me until I freed my feet. Yanking the tent open I gulped down the fresh air suddenly available to me. Tentatively I tried to stand up. The pain wasn't as bad as it had been, at least now I could stand up.

This was ridiculous. When did my life become a crappy teen horror movie?

Hobbling across the lush grass that glinted in the moonlight I made my way down to the door hidden in the side of the hill. I had to get into the house. I had to get Edward. I had to get to a phone. I had to take some serious painkillers.

Who was that guy?

And what the fuck did he want with me, and with Edward.

_Definitely not up for negotiation._

That was what he had said.

Quite frankly that's unacceptable to me.

The only thing not up for negotiation is this guy ending up in serious pain by the time this is over.

It felt like it took me forever to hobble over the crest of the hill and start to make my way down it only to find I had gotten turned round in the dark and gone the wrong way. Debating whether to start back up the hill or simply walk around until I found the hidden door, which in the dark was going to be debatable, I paused and screamed in frustration. A loud keening cry of pain and aggravation so feral that it was enough to get wolves howling in the distance.

Great.

Now there are wolves?

Just what I need, to be eaten alive by a hulking great fucking predator.

Only two days ago I had woken up and my world had been sunshine and rainbows and kittens and brown paper parcels all tied up with string. Now? It's hobbling without a clue in a meadow that I've been to once with wolves howling in preparation for a tasty Bella treat. And my head hurts. He must have smacked me good and proper to make me pass out like that. I hobbled a little further down kicking along the ground until my foot connected with something solid. I picked up the branch and used it as a crutch, gently leaning down onto it until I was sure it would take my full weight.

Time was passing fast it seemed like and I had to get a move on. I'm no Sarah Connor but I had people to protect. Or at least get someone on the case to protect them as I cower away in a warm bed somewhere, preferably with Edward being the big spoon.

Using my new found crutch I moved as quickly as I could back up over the hill. Finally I thought I had figured out the way Edward had brought us up earlier in the day and soon I was hurrying down towards the massive tree that guarded the door. Finally I reached the panel and I almost cried with joy when the lights shone into my eyes. Frantically pressing the numbers I sang a silent hallelujah when the door swung open and the tunnel stood sterilely welcoming me into its yawning mouth.

Moving through the tunnel as quickly as I possibly could, the thunk-thunk of the branch I was using as a crutch echoing louder than the soft scuff of my trainers against the floor. The pain was beginning to lessen, but my heart was beating at the same rate as a panicked bird caught in someone's hand. The feeling was almost too overwhelming for me to keep moving, but keep moving I did silently chanting Edward's name.

When the beautiful bland door that would allow me into the safety of the Cullen home came into view I blinked a few times to make sure it wasn't a mirage. It felt like I had been walking for hours. I wanted to get through that door and into the arms of whomever the hell it was I saw first. Carlisle would patch me up and drug me up. I could have a shower and sink into that wonderful bed and be comforted by Edward's hands around my body.

The door opened in front of me and I was confronted by darkness. And silence. Rushing through it I closed it behind me and fumbled across the wall for a light switch without luck. Cautiously I made my way up the stairs, knowing my luck it would be at this point that I would fall down the stairs and break my neck. Breathing heavily I got to the top and walked through into the kitchen.

"Hello?" I called softly, something was off. There should be seven people in this house. Soundproofed rooms or not seven people make a shit load of noise. Frowning I hopped into the living room. Still no one, what time is it? Is everyone in bed?

Eyeing the door to the entertainment room I noticed it was ajar, if they were down there I would hear them but nothing was drifting up. Picking up the phone I started up the stairs to Edward's room. I quickly dialled the number for the police station and waited for the rings to begin but the line was dead. Cursing I hurried up the stairs hoping that Edward hadn't moved his phone from where I had left it. Detouring into the spare room I picked up his phone and dialled Charlie as I walked across the hall.

"Edward?" Charlie's voice was music to my weary ears.

"Dad."

"Bells? Are you ok? Where the hell are you?" He sounded panicked.

"What's happened?"

"What do you mean what's happened? You were missing, the house was wide open, Mike Newton is dead and Jasper and Emmett got run off the road!"

Shock flooded through my body making it numb.

"Where are you Bella?" Charlie's voice pierced through the blank bubble that used to be my brain.

"At the Cullen house Dad." It came out as barely a whisper. "Why isn't anyone here?"

"Esme, Alice and Rosalie should be there Bella, but we can't get any answer from anyone and we can't get into the house." My eyes flicked to the windows and registered the shutters were down, the security system was in full effect. No one could get in without a code. All of a sudden the house didn't seem like a haven, it seemed like a prison.

"I might be able to switch the alarm system off." I had no idea if the code Edward programmed in for me was limited to just the tunnel or to the whole house but there was only one way to find out. "Is there police outside?"

"_I'm_ outside Bella."

"Good. Are Jasper and Emmett alright?"

"They will be, they're at the hospital with Carlisle. They aren't awake but they are alive. Bella, the bag I gave you, do you have it?"

"Somewhere." My voice sounded like it was coming from far away.

"Use it, ok Bells?" Nothing was penetrating the thick fog surrounding me. People I love were hurt. They were in the hospital, lying unconscious and vulnerable to everything. Biting down on my lip I nodded, forgetting that he couldn't see me. My left leg was beginning to strain under being the dominant leg for once so I shifted my weight onto the right, forgetting in my fog and numb shock state that it was injured. It buckled under me straight away, propelling me forward. The hand holding the phone crashed across onto the wall as I tried to prevent my fall, the other hand shot out and connected directly with the illuminated panel sitting beside the door.

"Shit!"

I pulled my hand away from the wall and surveyed the cracked screen of the phone with a detached interest. Bringing it up to my ear I listened for Charlie's voice but heard nothing. My forehead connected with a soft thud against the wall and I heaved a massive breath out of my lungs in frustration.

"Well Bella, aren't you just the pesky escapee?"

**EPOV**

"Shit!"

Bella's voice shouted out from the panel on the wall and I've never been so happy and so terrified at the same time. Hearing her voice meant she was alive but it also meant she was in the house. James stalked over to the intercom and depressed a button. He worked the thing like he knew exactly what he was doing.

"Well Bella, aren't you just the pesky escapee?" He looked back at me and fucking winked like it was the funniest thing in the world. She didn't reply and every second that passed deepened the frown on James's forehead. Esme sat silent behind me, waiting for something to happen. The silence in the room pressed down on us. "Looks like it's time to play hunt the wabbit."

"You leave her the fuck alone James or I swear to god I'll make you sorry." I growled. With a casual saunter he approached me, pulling a length of tape away from the roll and rebinding my wrists before placing a rectangle over my mouth.

"Shhhh, be vewy vewy quiet." He told me before taping Esme's mouth up. "Don't make me kill Esme, she seems quite lovely."

With a grin he backed away and ran up the stairs out of sight, leaving me with a choice.

Hope Bella manages to get out of the house or endanger Esme's life by going to help Bella.

Shit.

**A/N: Aplogies for taking so long with this folks. I wrote, rewrote then rewrote again the end and I wasn't happy with any of it. I cut it at this point so that at least something is up.**

**Enjoy it, review it, save it, alert it. Do any or none of these things as you see fit. Cheers. Will try to update asap but college and work is calling. **


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight ets, I own a bear that has been dipped in wax.**

**Chapter 31**

**BPOV**

Oh Crap.

There are better phrases in the English language that could evoke my feelings on the matter and the fear that was currently somersaulting through my body when his voice came out at me from the intercom. For a second I thought he was in the room with me, and then I cursed my stupidity for slapping my hand down onto the damn thing when I realised he wasn't. But he would be on his way up here.

I didn't hear anyone else when his creepy voice had seeped out of the speaker. Could I be alone in this house with him?

I had to get to the main panel and find out if my code would disable it. I snuck across into the spare room, grabbing the bag Charlie had given me and then I ran into Emmett's room down the hall, shutting the door as quietly as I could behind me before rethinking and opening it a little so that I could hear when he was coming past.

With any luck he would check Edward's room first and I would be able to sneak out and down the stairs. I pressed my back onto the wall behind Emmett's door and waited, my heart beating to the point of explosion in my chest. I was acutely aware of the blood pumping through my body, energising my muscles for action. Which is laughable considering my biggest muscle is my tongue, that's the one I exercise the most anyway.

Emmett's room was distinctly more masculine than Edward's. It was just as messy but with more sports memorabilia staggered around the shelves. Trophies sat on shelves in a non ostentatious way. Emmett wasn't the type to brag. There were more reds than blues in here making it slightly cosier than Edward's.

Remembering the bag in my hand I prised the top open and peered inside it, all the while waiting for the sound of footsteps in the hall. I dug my hand deep into the bag and felt cold metal against my hand; my fingers wrapped around the item and pulled it quietly from its confines. I extended my hand into the sliver of light coming in from the hall and finally realised what it was.

A knife.

Charlie had given me a pocket knife.

Did he not know me at all?

Doesn't he realise that his completely uncoordinated daughter was more likely to injure herself than someone else? At least it wasn't a gun, I was guaranteed to shoot myself if he had given me a gun, regardless of the countless hours I had spent at the shooting range and the fact that I could probably shoot an apple off Edward's head from half a mile away. As long as I was pointing it the right way that is.

We are all screwed if I have to be the one to save us all.

Especially since he had also included a canister of pepper spray, I'll end up blind and missing a toe by the end of this.

I pressed my face up against the crack in the door cautiously when I finally heard someone moving along the hallway. I struggled to keep from gasping out when I saw him again walking past the door. I was able to get a better look at him now I wasn't running in the opposite direction. He was noticeably older than us, he had to be at least twenty five. His face was covered in a dusting of stubble, there were shadows under his eyes showing his lack of rest. Fine lines were starting to appear at the corners of his eyes, I assumed that it wasn't from belly laughing with a group of friends. Even if he hadn't tackled me to the ground, knocked me out, put me in a smelly tent and, I'm pretty safe in assuming, held my boyfriend hostage I would cross the street if I saw him coming. There was a distinct aura of psychopath radiating from him.

He disappeared past the door and along into Edward's room. Without waiting a beat I slid out of the door and padded as quietly as possible down the stairs. I couldn't help but keep checking behind me, I heard him move out into the hallway again and open another door. I was sure he could hear the blood thumping through my veins. Finally my feet touched on the landing and I rushed over to the main panel by the front door.

My shaking fingers input the digits and I held my breath waiting for the result.

Nothing.

Not one little thing happened.

I peered at the display screen and noticed a single word flashing out, indicating that at this moment I was truly screwed.

Override.

How the hell has he done that?

Then I realised that if it had been as simple as inputting a disabling code then Charlie would have used Carlisle's.

"Bella Bella Bella. Where for art thou Bella? I'm getting tired of this little game." His voice once again seeped through the speaker in front of me making me jump back away from it like he was about to appear in front of me. Whipping my head around I saw that I was still alone and I decided that there was only thing left to do.

"What do you want?"

There was a moment before he answered.

"I want world peace Bella. What do you want?"

"I, personally, would quite enjoy getting the hell out of here with the people I love in one piece."

"You'll get most of that, pretty little girl, but not on your terms."

The tone of his voice chilled me to my bones, seconds later I heard movement on the stairs. I immediately turned and ran for the first door I came to, my body slammed it open and I careened down more stairs only to stop abruptly at the sight before me at the bottom.

**EPOV**

I sat and listened to the exchange between Bella and James drowning in frustration. Torn between ripping all this fucking tape off me and sweeping in to rescue her and staying exactly where I was and ensuring Esme didn't get her throat cut. Before I could even come to a concrete decision after listening to their exchange over the intercom Bella came tearing down the stairs and stared dumbfounded at all of us bound and captive.

She was only still for a moment before skidding down onto her knees in front of me and ripping the tape off my mouth in a smooth motion. I'd be lucky if I could grow any facial hair again after the assault on the follicles today.

"Edward, are you ok?" Her voice sounded so sweet to me, like I hadn't heard it in forever.

"Are you?" She slipped something out of her pocket and sliced through the tape on my wrists like it was a hot knife through butter. Immediately my arms wrapped around her slight frame and I crushed her into me for a second before letting her go so she could let my feet free.

"My leg hurts, my head hurts...right now my soul hurts. Jasper and Emmett are in hospital." Her eyes glassed over with moisture before she pushed her head against my chest. I slid the knife out of her trembling hand, pressed a tender kiss onto the crown of her head and moved away to cut Esme free.

"Why does your leg hurt?"

"He tackled me and it refused to go down with the rest of me." She sighed. "He managed to override the security system for the house, but I got in through the tunnel." A little crease formed between her eyes.

"It's a different company, different system that's linked but not controlled by the main one, in case something like that ever happened."

"I'm so _over_ technology." Bella moved over to Alice and Rosalie lying on the couches, her hand swept across each of their foreheads, I hurried behind her and cut through their binds. To my surprise their eyes were open. As soon as they were free Bella held out her hand for the knife and they stood up and swallowed Bella into their arms.

"We need to go." Esme said, pulling Alice, Rosalie and Bella through the room towards the tunnel. My spirits began to rise, as soon as we were on the other side of the door it was done. As soon as that door locked behind us James was trapped in this house. The only way out for him would be through the front door and I was pretty sure I could rely on Charlie to be waiting with a loaded fucking gun.

Bella's hand slipped into mine and we hurried along to the door, me pulling and her limping behind me. God knows how she managed to run down the stairs considering she could barely walk in a straight line.

Making the decision to scoop her up my arms under the pretence of helping but in reality it was more about the immense buzz that vibrates my body whenever I touch her. Esme was at the door punching in the code, ushering Rosalie and Alice through it and walking through herself when I turned to Bella. Her face was scrunched up with the pain pounding through her, I could tell she was aching with every step. Desperate to prevent her any more pain I hooked my arm around her to lift her. My hand smoothed across her ass just for the hell of it and she smirked up at me.

So distracted by Bella's beautiful weary face was I that I didn't hear the footfall behind us, barely noticed someone slip past us until finally I pulled my gaze away from her and watched in dumbstruck horror as James pushed Esme through the door and pull it shut behind her, separating us completely. Them on the side of freedom and fresh air, us on the side of trapped by a sociopath.

"You two are so cute together, seriously." He grinned, his eyes locked onto Bella's face pushing into my chest with a desperate growl. "It's just too easy to go around unnoticed when you are looking into each other's eyes."

"James." I started. "What the fuck do you want?" I stepped back with Bella in my arms as he stepped closer.

"I want to take everything away from you." His eyes narrowed and I pulled Bella in closer to me.

"I won't let you."

"Don't you understand Edward? You don't get a choice."

"And I don't either?" Bella asked, her voice strong and accusing. "You don't get to have me."

I took another step back, Bella began to struggle in my arms to stand upright but I was reluctant to let her go, to let her be more vulnerable than she already was. Finally she managed to free herself from my embrace and she stood paradoxically unsteady but strong, staring James down with a sneer.

I'd never loved her harder.

"This isn't about you, Bella, you just happen to be what tipped me over the edge." He smiled.

"I think you threw yourself off that edge a long time ago." Bella retorted.

We continued our game of backing away as he edged closer. We were getting closer to the stairs but it was pointless running. There was no way out except the tunnel. My eyes flicked towards the panel and James followed the movement with the same calm expression on his face. He backed away from us keeping his eyes focussed on our movements until he reached the panel. Without even looking at it he punched in numbers and I knew without having to be told that he had just disabled that one too.

This was it. We were trapped.

"How do you do that?" I asked genuinely interested in the answer. The system cost a shit load of money and was bought on the premise of absolute anonymity.

"It's amazing what information you can get with a fistful of cash and some well placed threats of violence." With a shrug he began towards us again.

"Is that how you managed to follow them?" Bella wondered out loud. "Violence and cash? Why?" Her head shook in disbelief.

"Why not?" James shrugged in response. "I hated Edward the minute he came to live with us. _She_ used to fuss all over him, making out he was some sort of royalty, when _he_ came I ceased to exist in that house."

"And?"

"What?"

"I. Said. And? Get the fuck over it James, don't be so pathetic." She scoffed over to him. Something flickered behind his eyes.

We had reached the bottom of the stairs, ushering Bella up the first couple we continued our retreat from the stalking predator that was James. Bella's pathetic comment had stirred something in him, making the mask of congeniality slip slightly to reveal the true underlying ugliness. I wasn't sure if she knew what she was doing but I sure as hell was grateful for it. An unhinged violent monster I could handle, I could attack and put him down.

Bella paused on the stairs, somehow she manoeuvred round me and stood between James and I. Her hands slammed onto her hips as she stood staring down at him with a scowl. My hackles immediately rose, the need to get between them again raging through me. There was no fucking way I was going to allow him any chance to touch her again. So far this evening he had touched her more than I would ever allow again. I wanted to be the only one who could touch her as irrational and possessive as the thought is.

"What do you mean I tipped you over the edge?"

James looked up at her with apprehension. Anger was pouring off Bella, it was practically corporeal as it flew out from her in waves of heat. We all felt the change in energy in the confined space. Somehow Bella was turning the power into her own, she was staring down a self confessed killer. This was the man who had brutally killed Newton and even though the most evil, unfeeling and absolutely vile .000000001% of me was feeling sickeningly grateful to him for that I was fully aware that at any moment he could attack Bella and hurt her in the most serious of ways.

James didn't answer her. They continued to stare each other down and with every second that passed James looked more and more like a reprimanded child. Keeping an eye on his movements I tried to circle down past Bella and position myself between them again. Aware that I could throw myself down at him and take my chances with a good old fashioned fist fight. The thought of crashing my fist repeatedly off his face was making me feel positively fucking tingly with anticipation. Reigning in the impulse, because I wanted to know the answer to this question too, I managed to get onto the same step as Bella before her soft hand took my own and stopped me with a slight shake of her head.

"I asked you a question. After what you have put us through tonight I expect an answer." It came out of her mouth in one long low hiss. My appreciation and love for this girl, my girl, was growing every second. She was manning up far more than I had at any point this evening. I was beginning to feel like a fucking pussy.

"He loves you." Finally James answered. "All this time he barely lived, he subsisted on the bare minimum of human contact, he never connected with anyone but Jasper and no one after they left here. Even with his brother until they came back here. And he met you."

"I'm to blame?" Confusion creased her expression until it was replaced with abject horror only to be quickly erased with a white hot fury. "_You're_ the only one to blame. This isn't my fault."

"It's _his_ fault." James pointed up at me.

"No." Bella shook her head adamantly.

"Don't argue with me." There was a warning in his voice that Bella didn't heed, she stepped down towards him.

"I _will_ argue with you." Another step towards him with me a millisecond behind her. "You aren't in charge here." He didn't move back, he stood staring as she stepped closer to him. I saw it in his eyes too late, that slight flicker of excitement at her moving back down to him.

Unable to stop it he darted out his hand and caught Bella by clamping it around her gesticulating arm. My own hand tightened around nothing as she was spun out and away from me. Catching her as she screamed out in something more than surprise he managed to spirit them both out of my leaping range. Regardless I leapt out and down from the stairs to land a foot away from him.

Which was a pretty fucking stupid place to land because as soon as I did his foot kicked out and connected with my face with a sickening crunch. Black spots swam across my vision and I dropped back, his foot connected once more with my face as I fought desperately to keep from letting the little black dots grow bigger and consume me. With a third time lucky kick to the side of my head I knew I was lost, still trying to cling onto to consciousness I garbled something out of my mouth before I fell headfirst into darkness to the sound of Bella screaming my name.

**BPOV**

"Edward?! Edward? You motherfucker!" My fist landed solidly on James's jaw, pain splintered though my hand but I didn't care. My mother would be appalled and ashamed at the language streaming out of my mouth as I rained blows onto any point I could to get myself free and drop to my knees beside Edward, to cradle his bloodied head on my lap, to kiss every inch of his face and wake him up.

He was keeping me calm. The whole time he was slowly moving me up and away, keeping his cool, not reacting with the violence I suspected was simmering within him I was barely under control myself. I wasn't scared. I was livid. I wanted to scream and rail and punch and kick until he didn't move again. Not for what he had done to me, but for what he had done to the people I love. For the knocking unconscious, the running off the road and for the death of someone I held no affection for but was pretty sure met a macabre end.

James held fast onto my body, crushing me against him like Edward had done so many times before. Blood was dripping thickly down Edward's face from his nose, dripping onto the carpet in a monotonously routine rhythm.

"Let me go!" My feet kicked out at his shins and I tried to remember all the things Charlie had taught me about protecting myself and fending off attackers. I stamped my foot down with as much force as I could onto his instep making him swear and drop his calm and "friendly" facade.

"Bitch!" The word flew out of his mouth accompanied by flecks of spit making my stomach churn.

"You _will_ let go of me." I tried to bring the flat of my hand up to hammer it down onto his face but my arms were pinned tightly to my sides. I was starting to think more clearly through my panic, the adrenaline both calming me and preparing me for the epic battle that was no doubt about to come. The thought of biting him crossed my mind but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I didn't want any part of him in my mouth. Managing to bring my hand up I pinched his upper arm between two fingers and twisted hard.

No person on earth is able to withstand that pain without giving it a good rub like a Dom soothing his Sub after a particularly harsh spanking.

It worked as I had hoped. He immediately let go of me, pushing me violently away from his vicinity and towards Edward. Dropping to my knees I cupped his face in my hands before bending down and allowing myself the relief of the feel of his breath against my cheek and watching the rise and fall of his chest.

Just the feel of his skin under the tips of my fingers lessened the worry I was feeling. The connection I had with Edward, even unconscious, was out of this world. Before I had felt like I wanted to be around him forever, was beginning to see my future with this damaged yet beautiful man, thought that perhaps he was it for me.

Now I was certain.

Certain that I would spend every conceivable second with Edward. That he was my future.

And that James was going to regret everything he had down today, everything he had done in the past. And I was going to make him pay for future crimes against humanity just by breathing. The pocket knife was where I had shoved it when everyone was unbound, in my back pocket.

"That _really_ hurt Bella." He sounded affronted, like I had hurt his feelings more than anything else.

"I can't find it in me to care." I snarled at him whilst pulling myself up to my full five feet four inches. I'm sure a less threatening image doesn't exist. I was favouring my left leg, pain was shooting up my right arm from my damaged knuckles, I probably looked like I had been a victim of a stroke. I flexed my hand, balling and releasing a fist to accustom myself to the pain of the movement so it wouldn't shock my system when I had my fist clutched around the knife.

My left hand curled around the canister of mace in my pocket.

This was ending now.

I had lost the will to be terrified.

"That isn't a very nice thing to say. I imagined you to be softer, gentler, more malleable certainly."

"And what on earth gave you that impression?"

"Your school records, speaking to you father." He shrugged.

"You spoke to my father?"

"Yeah, spun him a line about being interested in moving to the area and asking how my "little sister" would settle in, he just wouldn't stop raving about you and how you settled in once you moved here to live with him."

"How did you know about the flowers?" I blurted out at him as I thought it, realising that we still didn't know everything about how he had managed to track the family and how he knew what buttons to push.

"Edward talked in his sleep for the entire time he was in the Cope house. I didn't get a decent night's sleep until he left again. The flowers? I was told of those when I joined the Volturi."

"The Volturi?" Who the fuck were the Volturi?

"The family that killed his parents Bella. Keep up will you?"

"Don't use condescension with me James, you owe us all answers."

"You are the only person I will answer."

Whilst we had been talking he had edged towards me slowly but I was aware of every move he made. Aware of every breath he took. Aware that he was looking at me the same way Newton does...did.

"You don't know me, can't you understand that? I won't allow you to have me. You don't get to touch me again. I'll cut off your hands if you do." I've never had to use threats of violence so seriously before. Something deep inside me stirred and scared me because I knew I was capable of it.

"Then no one gets you. Least of all _him_." The next step James took towards me was more decisive and I matched it with movement of my own.

Bringing up the canister of pepper spray I unleashed a stream straight into his face, amazed that it was both pointing the right way and that my aim was decent. The pain that jolted through my arm when I pulled out the knife and gripped it in my hand was a shock to my system but not as great as it could have been. James cried out in pain as the spray attacked the nerve endings it came into contact with.

I rushed forward to take advantage of his temporary distraction with the knife ready to drive it deep into any part of him I could manage. A foot away from him I stopped, unable to continue. Angry tears began to pool in my eyes as I realised that maybe I wasn't quite as capable of this as I had thought. That perhaps I was going to be unable to get us out of here alive after all.

Dammit!

What was wrong with me?!

I could end this now.

End any future terror.

End this present horror.

How many lives would I be saving if I could just bring myself to thrust this blade deep into his neck, his heart, his stomach...anywhere that would prevent him from breathing again?

Wishing someone dead is one of the most atrocious thoughts I've ever had.

I'm not strong enough for this.

I would be a fucking awful cop.

Charlie was going to be so disappointed in me.

With my vision blurred as it was by my own frustration I didn't see James stride towards me. I felt the knife being yanked from my hand, felt pain zigzag like lightning through the nerves in my body, felt the cold steel against the exposed and vulnerable skin of my neck. Vomit creeped up my throat begging to be released but I swallowed it down.

If this was going to be the end of me then I was going to be ended with dignity and not with vomit on my shirt.

I managed to clear my vision and I looked down at Edward, his chest still rising and falling showing me he was alive. He was beautiful and alive and I wanted it to stay that way.

Whatever it took.

"I'll do whatever you want, just don't kill Edward. Please."

Fully aware I was making a deal with the devil I looked him straight in the dead eyes.

"That's very altruistic of you."

"I love him. I'll do whatever it takes."

"No deal." He shook his head and slid the blade down across my collar bone.

"Please." I whispered, only just realising that my entire body was shaking. The knife moved across to my shoulder and down my bare arm. Without warning the blade sliced into my arm, deep enough to draw blood but not deep enough for me to be at serious risk of death. I yelped out in pain and surprise but stood my ground.

"You would let me cut you just so that he would live?" Head cocked to the side James looked at me questioningly.

"I love him." It was really the only thing left to say as the stained blade smeared a line of blood back up my arm and another cut was administered to my upper arm.

"You're no good to me then." The knife settled on my throat. "It's really quite a shame."

The look on his face conveyed that he really meant it. That he felt regret that he had to kill me. For some reason I didn't imagine him feeling regret often.

"Do you think, if Carlisle had adopted me, that I could have ended up like Edward or Emmett? With someone like you?" He leant in and whispered the words in my ear.

"I think psychopath is innate. Nothing could have saved you from becoming a monster."

With nothing else to lose I spoke the truth before chewing on my bottom lip with anxiousness. With a deep sigh James pressed the knife harder against my throat.

"You know, I think you may be on to something with that."

I braced myself for more pressure against my throat.

Concentrated on thinking about Edward, Charlie, Renée, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rose.

Wondered if where I would go was going to be like in The Lovely Bones.

Thought about the hamster I had been the proud owner of for the first time in eight years.

Considered the possibility of heaven, something I had never fully decided on.

_A bit late to be trying to make a concrete decision on that now._

I considered all of this and more in the two seconds it took for Edward to propel his body forward and knock James away from me. The cool metal of the blade disappeared from my throat, the knife spinning through the air to land a few feet away. Edward rushed forward at James, connecting with his torso to send them both to the ground.

My heart drummed desperately inside me, reignited by possibility of an end to this that could be said to be happy. Edward was giving me hope when I thought it was my responsibility to give it to him.

Grunts and thuds and heavy breathing and swearing emanated from the heap of clothing, bones and skin tussling on the floor. Fists connecting with bone and cartilage filled the silence as I looked on with horror and hope. Edward had the upper hand, his body pinning James to the floor as his fists rained down until James managed to free a hand and punched it viciously against Edward's throat.

Gagging and gasping Edward fell to the side as I screamed, terrified that his windpipe had been crushed.

**EPOV**

For some reason I was pretty calm considering I was gasping desperately for air after being punched in the throat. Until this moment I had always considered the throat punch to be vaguely comedic. Being on the receiving end of one makes you realise how utterly unfunny it actually is.

Especially after regaining consciousness to find the love of your short life standing with a knife to her throat and blood dripping down her arm.

Air finally started to rush into my lungs, my hands massaging my throat as Bella stood silent after her scream with wide eyes and a blank face. James was crouched in front of me in a feral attack stance. Without waiting for him to make a move I launched myself across at him again. My fists landing solidly into his gut, my body weight throwing us both backwards. Using the advantage I pinned him down onto the floor again, my knuckles thudding sickeningly into his face.

He brought his face up between blows and bit down onto my wrist.

"You bit me!" I shouted pointlessly. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" I was shocked into stopping my rain of fists. He immediately took advantage and I was once again thrown away from him. I slid to a stop at Bella's feet. Blankly she looked down at me before flicking her gaze towards something on the floor. James saw her do it at the same time I did.

We both lunged for the knife.

Both knowing that it could be our last chance to gain the upper hand.

I lost the upper hand.

I almost lost my _actual_ hand.

His fingers wrapped around the hilt, within seconds of touching it he swung it down towards my grasping empty hand. With a move of pure luck I managed to get out of reach just in time. In the intervening years I could only suppose that James had become some sort of master in all sorts of bendy stretching martial arts to perfect his reflexes and sprightliness.

Keeping an eye on Bella I considered my options.

Turn and run.

Stand fast and wait.

Launch and punch.

Launching and punching had certainly left his face dripping with blood but it hadn't slowed him down. It had also left me with what I'm sure is a broken bone in my hand.

Turning and running was an exercise in futility considering he had us locked in here with his evil genius use of some sort of override code.

That left me with only one option. I planted my feet solidly on the ground, angled my body defensively and brought up my fists. Then I waited while he ran through his own options before noticing I hadn't made a move.

"Fight to the death then?" He quipped.

"I assumed that was what this already was." I replied.

"Guess so." He shrugged and gave me a half smile. The smile melted from his face, the second the last remnants of it had disappeared it was his turn to launch at me.

I was getting tired of this. Tired of the fighting, but more tired of the running. I was done with running. Time to face the evil no longer lurking in the darkness. I wish I had paid more attention when Emmett would come home from boxing and try to show me what he had learned.

Right at this very moment I wished I _was_ Emmett.

Blocking James's stabbing hand I sidestepped around him, working on the slight possibility that I could tire him out by stepping around him for a while. It wouldn't last long, my ability to step out of his reach. From what I had witnessed tonight I knew he wasn't stupid, a sociopath certainly, but not stupid. It didn't take him long to work out my tactics.

He suddenly dropped to a crouch, supporting his body weight with his arms his legs swung out to connect painfully with my knees, making me buckle and crumple down to the floor.

Sneaky capoeira studying bastard.

The weight of a fully grown man pressed down onto my chest. The cool blade of a knife smeared with my girlfriend's blood touched my skin.

Hope began to fade away.

**BPOV**

He had his back to me.

Now was my chance.

I could do something, anything, to help us.

I looked around wildly for something that would be of use until my eyes fell on the heavy crystal vase sitting glinting at me from where it sat on one of the small side tables dotted around the room. It was heavy in my hands when they pressed against the intricately cut surface. I silently apologised to Esme and hoped hard that it didn't mean anything sentimental or cost too much but reasoned that she would be urging me on if she had been here with us.

As quietly and as quickly as I could I snuck up behind them. Wincing at the pain running up my arms, legs and body in general I planted my feet solidly and swung the vase like a baseball bat against James's skull. The wet thud that sounded through the room turned my stomach, rivulets of blood appeared running down the back of his neck after I had been sprayed with a mist smelling of pennies.

Part of me had hoped that he would have been knocked out. But I had forgotten that we were dealing with the fucking Terminator. Edward looked up at me in shock, his face dirty with sweat and blood, his hair looking like it had been attacked by a swarm of angry bees. I half shrugged at him before bringing the vase thick and solid vase back to swing round again.

James caught the forward swing this time, wrenching it out of my hands and throwing it across the room at the wall. It didn't smash; it hit solidly and bounced down to the carpet. I felt a hand on my abdomen pushing me before I realised that he was on his feet, blade in hand, and was pushing me across to nearest wall. Before I could react he thrust the knife into the flesh on my upper arm, pushing the blade right through until it hit the wall behind me.

Screaming out in pain I was deaf to the sound that I'm sure would have been the sweetest sound I had ever heard mixed with two male cries of agony.

I was aware of the second noise and recognised it instantly. I sank to the ground immediately, covering my ears and head as bullet after bullet escaped the confines of the barrel in Charlie's gun. Glancing up I saw Edward on the ground too, clutching his shoulder and writhing in agony.

"Bella! Are you ok?!" Charlie ran across the room to scoop me into his arms. I looked around in a panic, expecting James to attack Charlie, to find him lying in a crumpled bloody mess. Looking at his chest I waited for the rise and fall that would never come.

"Daddy you killed him." I whispered in awe.

"He was going to kill you, I had no choice."

"You could have shot out his knee or something. Hold on, did you shoot Edward?!" I pulled myself out of his arms and hurried over to Edward, his face paler than white, paler than I had ever seen it. A sheen of sweat covered his face but he still managed a weak smile when my face hovered into view. "Holy shit."

"I look that bad?" He joked.

"You'll never look that bad to me." I whispered, pressing a kiss onto the cleanest part of his face I could find. "We'll get you all fixed up and then you'll have a sexy shoulder scar that I can kiss."

"I like it when you kiss my scars." He mumbled, grinning up at me weakly whilst Charlie motioned and shouted for people to do their jobs. "I like it when you kiss me in general."

"I don't mind that so much myself." I was ushered out of the way by paramedics, staring down at my Adonis as his eyes fluttered slowly before rolling back into his head, his body suddenly releasing the tension it had been holding, his hands thwumping softly down onto the carpet.

"Edward?"

**A/N: Sincerely sorry that this has taken me forever to do. Real life interfered leaving me with no time at all.**

**Also sorry I haven't replied to any reviews, but I read and appreciate every single one of them so thank you very much. **

**nerac started a thread over on twilighted for people to discuss this story. I haven't had time to check it out but you all should it you want.**

**Will update as soon as possible, but there will only be another couple of chapters to come to wrap everything up in a pretty little bow. **

**Review it and tell me what you thought :D**

**Be good. **


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, I own a serious addiction to Twitter. **

**Chapter 32**

**BPOV**

Charlie shot him. I can't believe my own father shot the person I love. Watching Edward's body go limp on the floor stopped my heart. Arms pulled me away from the scene, I fought against the strength of them determined to not stop watching Edward until his beautiful green eyes opened and that crooked grin was back on his wonderful mouth.

Somehow I was managing to ignore the pain emanating from every part of my body as I watched the paramedics work to find a pulse. A huge wracking sob of relief burst forth from me when I finally noted that Edward's chest was rising and falling gently. They ripped off his shirt to reveal the vividly ugly wound that travelled from the front to the back of his shoulder. Blood was still freely escaping, pads of white cotton were pressed down onto it and strapped into place before he was picked up and placed onto the stretcher. Then they rushed him out of the room away from me.

I struggled to follow him, railing against yet more restricting arms around me.

"Bella, calm down." Charlie's face appeared in front of me breaking my stare at the door Edward had been taken through.

"I'm with him. I have to go with him." I muttered still trying to pull myself away.

"You'll get to the hospital, you'll get to see him. I just need you to get fixed." His brown eyes pleaded with me to acquiesce until finally I did. When I nodded at him I became intensely aware of the fact that it felt like every part of my body had been broken. The pain was excruciating.

"It hurts."

"What does?"

"Everything." I sobbed out, finally allowing myself to crumble under the pressures of the day. My eyes locked onto the lifeless body lying crumpled on the carpet knife still in hand.

"Come with me." Charlie took my hand gently but it still sent wincing pain through me, he guided me up the stairs and out the house before sitting me down onto a stretcher with a gentle push on my shoulder.

Fresh air swam into my lungs, I gasped it down like I was drowning, trying to cleanse myself from the inside out. Paramedics worked around me, applying gauze and make shift bandages as I stared blankly through the trees. Emergency service lights bathed the scene in rotating colours bouncing back into the trees off the white walls of the house.

"Where is everyone?" I asked Charlie, moving my head to the side to look past the woman who was making more pain shoot through me by flexing my hand and wrist.

"Everyone is at the hospital getting looked after. Carlisle is waiting to see you and Edward."

"I'm so angry with you, but so grateful too." I told him truthfully making him cringe slightly under my gaze.

"My only option was to shoot through Edward. It was that or let him plunge that knife back into you."

"Hence the grateful comment Dad. How did you get into the house?"

"Carlisle gave me the name and number of the company. I've been out here since I spoke to you on the phone getting the master code. Son of a bitch refused until I threatened to track him down and shoot him in the face if he didn't give me it."

"Dad!" I was shocked more at the use of the word bitch than of the empty threat he had administered. I knew he would never use his gun without provocation, thankfully this guy hadn't.

"What else was I to do Bella? My only daughter trapped in a house with a dangerous killer and no means of escape, if threats of violence gave us a happy ending then I have no regrets."

"We should get her to the hospital, get her cleaned up." The woman said to Charlie like I didn't even exist.

"Well your timing was impeccable Dad." I stood up and hugged him gently, trying to avoid any pressure anywhere on my body. "Alright, get me to the hospital, I need to see Edward."

* * *

It felt like it took forever to get to the hospital. Every bump on the road reverberated through my injured body and trust me when I say there was a shed load of bumps on the road. Under the bright false lighting in the back of the ambulance I was finally able to see some of the damage that had been done to my body.

Extending my arms out in front of me I was shocked at how much blood was smeared across my hands and arms. The shallower cuts on my upper arm had stopped bleeding but throbbed dully, especially when I couldn't resist the urge to have a little poke at them. My right hand was bruised almost black and was swollen hugely, my knuckles sitting slightly out of alignment. The sight of it made my stomach turnover. My left hand was not so damaged yet was still bruised beyond recognition.

I was dreading the look of my face, though I was hopeful that it would just be dirty. I couldn't remember any damage being inflicted on my face, though the memories of this evening were already not as vivid as I had feared. I had assumed that this would be a night I would forever remember in all of its Technicolor horror. But it was slowly dawning on me that as long as Edward, and everyone else, was going to come out of this ok then I wasn't going to let this night define me for the rest of my life.

The woman was looking at me with a glower because I refused to take off my jeans and let her look at my damaged leg. Realising that I was being obtuse I still refused. There was no way I was going to arrive at the hospital sans jeans.

We finally arrived at the hospital and I hobbled out of the ambulance to be met with Carlisle's anxious face. I smiled at him warily, pleased beyond belief that he was standing before me without any damage. His hand extended out to guide me to the wheelchair that was sitting at his side.

"Bella, thank god, I've been so worried." He told me, trying to sit me in the wheelchair.

"A wheelchair? Really Carlisle I can walk."

"Please don't argue with me Bella, indulge me this favour." With a sigh I sat myself into it and he wheeled me through the doors of the hospital.

"How is Edward? How is everyone else? Are they safe? Are they going to be alright?"

"The girls are being patched up, nothing too serious, we have to keep a close eye out for concussion but they should be fine. Emmett and Jasper will be fine too."

Relief.

I'm falling a little bit in love with relief.

"Edward?"

"He is in surgery right now." His tone was cautious. Like he was unsure he should have told me at this moment in time. I hauled myself out of the moving chair, catching my heel and stumbling forward.

"Surgery?! What?" My voice echoes through the crowded halls making people pause what they were doing and turn to stare at this vision of bloody covered anguish in front of them.

"Please sit back down Bella. His shoulder was shattered; he needs to have it reconstructed."

"Fucking Charlie." I muttered darkly, fully aware that it was the only option available to him but also suspicious that he had wanted to shoot Edward since the previous night.

We turned a corner and I saw Alice walk out of a room to our right. She stopped in her tracks when she saw me, her eyes filling with tears that spilled down her cheeks. A sob started in her chest and she ran over to me, dropping to her knees and hugging me around the waist, her cheek resting on my damaged knee. The pain made me want to vomit but I held it in and patted her head with my left hand.

"Oh Bella, you look like hell, I was so worried." She whispered to my lap.

"I'm alright Alice, promise." Her face turned up to mine and I grinned down at her. "Honestly, you know me better than to think that I could get killed by a murderous psychopath." I huffed jokily, trying to ease her worry.

"Good point. I pity the fool who tries to take you down." She returned my grin and some of the Alice sparkle that I love so much returned.

"I need you to do me one thing though." She nodded immediately. "You really need to stop touching me right now, every part of me feels broken." Her eyes widened and she immediately pulled away from me.

"Go get fixed then." She shooed us off and returned to the room she had left when I spotted her.

* * *

Three hours, countless x-rays later and I was as fixed as I could be by modern medicine. My right hand was in a cast, my arms covered in stitches and bandages and my knee strapped so tight I'm surprised that blood could get through to my lower leg.

Edward still wasn't out of surgery.

I was sitting in the room Emmett and Jasper were calling home, their faces peppered with scratches from the glass of the windscreen from the car. Emmett's leg was in a full cast, from foot to crotch but his dimples were in full attendance so I wasn't worried about the pain he was in. Jasper had managed to get away without any broken bones but he wore a bandage around his head that made him look like a rejected prototype for Rambo.

And Edward still wasn't out of surgery.

I was doped up to the eyeballs with some painkiller or another that left my entire body feeling pretty damn numb but my chest was aching. With every beat of my heart my pain grew more and more intense. Alice tried to ease my worry but I couldn't help but think of the trauma his body had been through even without surgery. People go in to have surgery on the simplest things and yet don't survive.

I can't exist without him.

I _don't _exist without him.

Carlisle would give us periodic updates but mostly we sat and we talked over what a psycho James was and the reasoning behind his campaign of hate. But I zoned out after telling them what had happened in the room, letting them come to their own conclusions about the kind of man he was. Personally I didn't care what kind of traumatic childhood he had experienced; there was no excuse for what had happened tonight.

"I'm going to go for a walk." I muttered. Half hopping out of the room I pulled the door closed behind me and leaned against it.

I couldn't concentrate, couldn't bring myself to think or care about anything. There was only one thing on my mind. Charlie had come in with some of his deputies and taken our statements but mine was a garbled mess, I didn't tell it in order at all. Random statements forced their way out of my mouth leaving us all confused.

With every minute that passed another sliver of my heart detached itself. It was becoming a jigsaw that I wasn't going to be able to reassemble if the main part of it was missing forever.

I've turned into a pessimistic drama queen. I didn't know love could make you feel like this. If it is like this with a boyfriend then I don't understand how parents can get through a day without having a breakdown. That's the only other love I can think of that could be so consuming, so unconditional. I would never need anything from Edward except him, and even if he wasn't willing to give me that I would still love him this strongly.

Thankfully he was more than willing to give me that.

**EPOV**

Bella was safe and I loved her and she loved me. That was the last thing I remember thinking before I lost consciousness. Knowing that she was no longer in danger I allowed myself to submit to the knowledge of my body, let it take over and kick into survival mode. I hadn't expected it to knock me out so suddenly and completely but it was a welcome respite from the ache of my face and the agony of my shoulder.

I knew Charlie was just waiting for the opportunity to shoot me.

But the bullet that had managed to shatter my shoulder into splinters had also managed to escape through my skin and sink solidly into James's back to prevent him from stabbing through Bella's perfect skin again so I can't hold any grudges. I'm pretty sure that if I had the same opportunity when it comes to my future daughter's boyfriend then I would gladly take it.

The next thing I was aware of was waking up to see Carlisle hovering over me. A look of intense relief on his face when he saw me open my eyes. They were giving me blood to replace the pints that I had lost. I couldn't make out what was being said.

Carlisle told me something and I nodded. I had no idea what I had just agreed to. He could have told me that they needed to amputate something and I just nodded like an idiot.

Then I was being wheeled through corridors, a mask being placed over my mouth and nose. My eyes were fluttering shut but I didn't want to sleep again until I had seen Bella.

My beautiful beat up Bella.

But I couldn't fight whatever was pumping into the mask and I was lost once again to the blackness.

* * *

I don't know how long I was unconscious.

What I did know when I was drifting solidly towards wakefulness was that I was screaming inside. The pain emanating from my shoulder was greater than any pain I had felt in my life. I couldn't talk, couldn't move. It was like I was trapped in my own mind. There was no silence from my unflinching mental scream. It was so loud inside my head I was sure the sound would be seeping through my ears and into the room.

My scream lessened when a soft familiar hand made contact with my own.

It felt like days were trudging slowly by with me trapped inside my head. I started talking to myself, singing to myself to keep the boredom at bay until sounds began to penetrate my mental prison. Voices I recognised spoke around me, some of them to me.

When I heard Bella's voice pleading with me I resolved to fight against my prison with more passion. I used every fibre of my being to move my fingers in her grasp but they would not obey. It felt like there was never a moment that Bella wasn't with me. She was urging me to open my eyes, to move my fingers, to speak to her and I so desperately wanted to. I wanted to kiss those soft welcoming lips, wind my fingers through her silky hair, to taste her strawberry skin, to kiss her neck and to touch her everywhere.

"Carlisle, why won't he wake up?" Bella's voice asked at one point.

"His body has been through spectacular trauma Bella, plus the head injuries that he sustained." They both sounded weary. "He will wake up when his body is ready for him to."

"I miss him." Bella whispered making my heart ache to comfort her.

"We all do."

Enough is enough. If I wasn't ready to wake up why would I be experiencing such a high level of cognition? This is hugely frustrating. Remind me to never get kicked in the head and shot again.

I focussed all of my energy on opening my eyes. I pictured Bella waiting for me to look at her, waiting for a sign that it was all going to be good from now on. I would wake up for her. I would wake up because she was my life. She was everything I would ever need. Without her I was nothing, a shell of a human being subsisting on a very basic level. She brought me to life before and she was my focus to begin living once again.

Slivers of light slipped through my eyelids, my eyes tried to remain shut against the alien brightness but I forced them open that little bit more. I could make out the white sheets that were tucked tightly around my body, looked at the IV secured in the back of my hand, glanced down at my shoulder and saw the bandages wrapped tightly around it. Looking beyond the foot of my bed I finally saw her standing looking up at Carlisle.

Carlisle's head inclined slightly in my direction and Bella turned her head towards me.

**BPOV**

Edward had been sleeping for 88 hours, 34 minutes and 13 seconds. I couldn't bring myself to call it anything other than sleeping. He had been rolled out of surgery and I wasn't allowed to see him for another hour until I all but screamed at Carlisle to make the nurses let me see him. I had barely left his side since.

Charlie had brought me some clothes from home, Carlisle let me use the doctor's lounge and bathroom, I picked through trays of hospital food. I played music for Edward, with one earphone each I sat beside him and played him the songs that I associated with us from my IPod. I was sure that if he heard Machines or Disenchanted Lullaby that it would stir something in him and wake him up.

Every passing hour built upon the savage desperation I was feeling. Another hour passed and another block was placed on top of the last.

Everything outside of the hospital room ceased to exist. I was rarely in there alone. Doctors and nurses provided a constant stream of interruption. They looked upon me with sympathy but I didn't want it. They would try to convince me to get some fresh air but I would refuse. They would change my dressings as I sat at his bedside, gripping his limp fingers in my own.

Sometimes my mind would play tricks on me, I would be convinced that his fingers moved, or that I saw his toes twitch underneath the sheets. Sometimes I would stare at his closed eyes, memorising the tiny blood vessels underneath the pale skin, his long eyelashes rested gently on his cheeks and I would fall ever more in love with him.

Esme would sit silently in vigil with me, understanding my need to be there, to not be questioned about my presence. Thankfully she understood my need to use her crystal vase as a weapon too. She fended off curious staff wanting to know the details. In a town like Forks our ordeal was going to go into legend with abundant inaccuracies that I didn't have the strength or desire to correct.

Jasper and Emmett were still in the hospital and very sporadically I would venture along to see them, as always Alice and Rosalie were by their sides and for a few minutes in each day I would feel some of the worry, some of the desperation lift from me and I could allow myself to be comforted by just the presence of my friends.

It was early evening when Carlisle came in to check on us both. He picked up the folder that sat at the end of Edward's bed and looked over to see if there had been any change. He could have asked me, I was preternaturally aware in any changes in his son.

"Carlisle, why won't he wake up?" We both sighed at me asking this question. It was a well worn path of me knowing but not comprehending the reasoning and Carlisle feeling more than helpless at both his son being asleep for so long and at my need for him to be awake.

"His body has been through spectacular trauma Bella, plus the head injuries that he sustained. He will wake up when his body is ready for him to."

"I miss him." I whispered pointlessly.

"We all do."

We looked at each other, united in our hopelessness, until he inclined his head slightly towards the bed. I turned to look down at Edward, at a loss as to what Carlisle was directing my attention to. When I realised it felt like I had been punched in the gut. There was no air left in my body as soon as I became aware of the most beautiful pair of emerald eyes peering up at us. The smile of overwhelming relief that formed on my mouth almost split my face in two. I positively beamed down at Edward with happiness.

I was at his side in seconds, my hands wrapped around his and I practically passed out at the sensation of him gripping back. Happy tears burned my eyeballs but I refused to let them cloud my vision, refused to lose the image of Edward smiling up at me. He was smiling the smile only I get to see, the smile that tells me just how much he enjoys being with me. He cleared his throat and lifted his hand to stroke across my cheek, pulling my face closer to his until out foreheads rested against each other.

"Welcome home." I murmured against his lips.

"You brought me back."

"It felt like you were gone forever. Don't ever leave me like that again."

"Only if you promise me one thing."

"Anything."

"Make Charlie promise not to shoot me again." He laughed and I'm sure I heard Carlisle stifle a snigger behind us. Looking deep into Edward's eyes, smiling like an idiot, I knew that there was nothing he could ask that I would refuse.

"Deal."

Our lips pressed softly against the others and the frenzied emotions of the previous days stilled, calm swept through me and I wasn't worried about what the future would hold because I was looking it right in the emerald eye.

"I love you."

"Marry me."

**A/N: Hello my lovely readers and supporters!**

**Leave me a review and let me know what you thought!**

**The last A/N was very very rushed because I had about 3 minutes to get changed for work and write it and post the chapter.**

**My course is close to ending as is this story and I wanted to extend a majorly heartfelt thanks to those of you who have been avid readers and feedbackers (not sure that's a word).**

**The Twilighted thread thing is easy to find if you search for my author name and not the story name because about a billion matches comes up for dream...I snatched a quick look but had no time to post a nice message...sorry! For my next story I'll be more vocal and interactivey because it'll be summer time and I'll be free of college...I got an A for the entire course so the study time has been worth it!**

**Dependent on what spills out of my messed up brain the last chapter will be the end *sob*.**

**It'll be up asap...but as always lots to do and not enough time....I really am longing for the summer...not least because I'm going to London to see Kings of Leon :D**

**Be good peeps!**


	33. Absolutely

**Disclaimer: as we all know, i don't own twilight or owt associated with it...i own yet more tickets to biffy clyro and a burning desire to move to london and work at emi or columbia or rca or syco or something. (sorry this took forever but i was on holiday)**

**Absolutely**

**BPOV**

Edward was waiting for me. I kept thinking about how simply amazing he was going to look in his tux. How his eyes were going to sparkle when we saw each other, how they would be a green reflection of the look in my own eyes. If I thought about the amount of people who would be looking at me I started to slowly unwind. My carefully practiced calm would dissolve and I could feel my knees wobble dangerously under me.

I smoothed out the thick fabric of my dress unnecessarily for about the millionth time since Alice had zipped me up. Lilies the exact shade of my dress lay in intricate garlands hanging beautifully from the walls and lay interspersed across flat surfaces. I resisted the urge to run my hands through my hair because I would undo the hard work of the hairdresser who had spent 2 hours coiffing, tonging, pinning and securing the lush green leaves the exact emerald shade of Edward's eyes into my hair.

"Bella are you ok?" Esme laced her fingers with mine and squeezed gently to reassure me that it was going to be fine.

"I'm a little nervous." I admitted. "I don't know how I let you and Alice talk me into this." A nervous laugh escaped my throat.

"Don't worry. Today is going to be perfect."

Perfect unless I managed to royally screw something up. Alice had drilled into me the routine, the steps and pauses, the music and the stance. She even had Jasper quiz me about it last night. I would be a little offended at how little faith she had in me if it weren't a completely valid fear. You would think that it was her getting married today.

Rosalie and Alice stood in front of me, ready to start the procession down the aisle, both poised and perfect in their dresses that matched in colour but not in style. Alice had opted for a more French bias style whilst Rosalie had gone for a classic Calvin Klein silhouette. I couldn't actually say what my dress was if my life depended on it, Alice chose it and she reassured me that the tone was perfect against my skin.

The music drifting through from the other room changed into the song we were to march down the aisle to and I was suddenly very excited. I hadn't seen Edward in what felt like days due to Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper kidnapping him for some sort of bachelor activities. It is the longest we have been apart since he left the hospital over three months ago. Even Charlie has grudgingly accepted that there is no way we can be parted now.

Alice grinned back at me before walking with poise and grace through the door and down the aisle. Rosalie paused for thirty seconds and walked out after her. I smoothed down my dress yet again in lieu of raking my fingers through my hair. I had picked up Edward's habit of hair play much to the irritation of Esme who thought he would never stop it now seeing as we were in a vicious circle of habit stealing.

I wobbled slightly in my heels but steadied myself against the door frame. I could see everyone sitting looking at the door expectantly. My heart started to hammer in my chest. I don't like audiences. Every single pair of eyes in that room were going to be on me in a second. I just knew that I was going to make some sort of stumble or spectacular idiot of myself.

Taking a large gulp of air I stepped from behind the door and into the magical wonderland that used to be the Cullen lounge but was now so transformed I wouldn't have recognised it if I hadn't known. The same garlands of lilies were placed on the floor, bordering the route down to the man that I adored. Taking another breath I corrected my posture, bringing my head up and shoulders back to find the eyes that I craved. Every step I took brought me closer to the smile that beckoned me forward. I couldn't stop the smile that was radiating from me; it felt like I could warm the entire room with it.

It felt like there was an invisible current running between us and he was reeling it in, bringing me ever closer. The flowers in my hands ceased shaking as his presence relaxed me. Emmett, Jasper and Carlisle stood with him, all looking mighty fine in their suits. Finally I reached the end of the route, taking my place beside Alice I tore my gaze away from Edward and turned to watch Esme glide serenely towards her husband, radiating the love she felt for him, for her boys, for us all.

**EPOV**

I didn't listen to a damn word the minister said, or the renewed vows Carlisle and Esme just passionately said in front of a room full of their closest friends and colleagues. The only people I cared about in this room were standing beside and in front of me.

But I just couldn't stop staring at Bella.

She looked truly breathtaking, her hair all curled and pinned up with what looked like leaves in it. Her shoulders bare thanks to the strapless dress Alice and Esme had conspired to slip her into. I was going to have to buy them gifts to show how truly grateful I was at the sight before me. Every step she took down the aisle towards me without breaking my gaze made me wish with all of my being that she was walking towards me to say her own vows.

In time that would happen, but she was right, we were both too young right now. That didn't stop me resizing my mother's engagement ring and putting it in my pocket this morning. She hadn't said no that day at the hospital, just not right now. I would be happy with a long engagement, I'd wait for her forever, but I wanted her to know how serious I had been when I asked her through my haze of drugs and trauma.

If there is one thing a coma will do for you it is to make it pretty clear what you love and who you want in your life forever.

Applause broke through my reverie, my hands automatically joined in, I smiled, I patted Carlisle on the back, I kissed Esme on the cheek. My eyes never left Bella. I moved towards her, to feel her soft hand in mine and get a taste of that beautiful mouth in as chaste a kiss I could manage. Before I had the chance she was bundled down the aisle by Alice and Rosalie, leaving me gaping in their wake beyond annoyed at being yet again denied the company of the woman I love.

In the months since the accident I could barely tolerate being separated from her. Charlie was slowly coming around to the notion of us being together, which was going to help me when it came down to the conversation I was going to have with him at some point today.

I was going to check he wasn't toting a gun first.

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"Are you going to be all romantic and shit?"

"No, I'm going to say 'I love you and shit, marry me bitch'."

"That almost rhymes."

"Rosalie is one lucky, lucky lady Emmett, sincerely." I managed to dodge away from Emmett's fist before it connected with my still messed up shoulder. He sometimes forgot that I had recently been shot. Any more 'gentle' punches to the shoulder were going to mean yet another operation.

I spotted Charlie across the room, talking to a distant relation of Carlisle's from Alaska. She was flicking her mantrap blonde hair with enthusiasm and I was glad Bella wasn't around to witness Charlie's slightly dazed suggestive grin. Part of me was loathe to interrupt but I knew that if I didn't Bella would be the sudden step-sister to several pain in the ass kids.

"Chief, could I have a word?" He tore his gaze away from $4,000 worth of silicon to give me the same look of conflicting thoughts he always lavished upon me. There was the underlying hatred of me stemming from the suspicion that I was having regular sex with his daughter, slightly quelled by the knowledge that I had saved her life the day of the careening van, which was topped with his certainty that I loved her. Only to be further layered with a desire to shoot me again.

I walked a fine line between being good enough for his daughter and being the punk who was shagging her.

"I'll be right back." He directed at Tanya, her disappointment shown with a sigh that made her fake chest rise and fall again in a disgustingly obvious manner. "Make this quick Edward."

"I want to ask Bella to marry me." I cut straight to the crux of the conversation and watched as Charlie's brown eyes widened, his head shook instinctively and his face turned a few interesting colours. "Before you automatically say no please think about it."

"Why are you even asking me if you already know my answer?"

"I had hoped that your opinion of me would have changed in the past few months, that you would have seen just how deeply I love your daughter, how I would never intentionally hurt her."

"I know you would never intentionally hurt her Edward. I've seen you put your life at risk to save her, seen how injured you were when it was over. But neither of you are eighteen yet. You are both too young."

"I realise that, and that's why we wouldn't be getting married until after college, that is if she says yes. I just want to give her the ring." I pulled it out of my pocket, glancing around to make sure no one was in sight I popped open the box and showed Charlie the glinting ring.

"How could you afford a ring like that?"

"It was my mothers. Besides, I have...money. Separate from Carlisle's. Bella isn't going to have to worry about money her entire life if she marries me."

"Money doesn't motivate Bella."

"I know that. I only mention it to perhaps put your mind at ease about our future."

"Even if I say no you are both going to go against me at some point in the future." I nodded at the truth of the statement. "I don't dislike you Edward, you are becoming a man to be proud to know. I realise that I am overly protective of Bella, but after what she has been through and her being my only child...one day you'll understand and I won't even tell you I told you so."

It took a moment for his words to sink in, his inference that he would be in my life when I had children could surely mean only one thing. That he would be their grandpa. He smiled under his moustache at the dawning realisation on my face and with a nod he clapped me on my good shoulder and walked back to Tanya.

**BPOV**

All day long I had been catching glimpses of my bronze haired boyfriend from across the room but every time I tried to get near him Alice or Jasper or Esme or Carlisle or Rosalie or Emmett would swing me in the other direction. The six of them descended when I saw Charlie and Edward talking with serious looks on their faces and was about to walk over to diffuse the situation but was pulled away by six sets of hands to pose for yet more photographs.

I detest having my photo taken, which was one of my main arguments against being in the wedding party. I didn't want to ruin the photographs with my incessant blinking at the wrong moment. It wasn't hard to genuinely smile but it was hard to find that fine line between subtle and gormless. It was getting exhausting and I was about to throw in the towel when strong familiar hands slid smoothly around my waist to pull me back into the contours of his body.

My loud sigh of contentment was echoed by his own, my hand snaked up to run along his jaw and up into his hair. Eyes shut I stood and revelled in the closeness of his body. His lips grazed my temple before he spun me to face him in a liquid movement that would have sent me flying to the floor if it had been anyone else, but he caught me with lithe grace and my arms locked at the back of his neck as I gazed up at his face.

"I've missed you, it feels like an age since I held you in my arms. Since I kissed your lips." He dropped a light kiss onto my mouth before continuing. "Since I smelled your hair." His nose dove into my pinned hair. "Since I tasted your skin." His mouth sank against my neck to give me the lightest of kisses and slightest flick of his tongue.

"If that's the kind of greeting I get then I'm going to make you miss me more often." I smiled into his shoulder.

"Every second you aren't in my arms I miss you more than you know." My knees started to feel a little weak. "Time to dance."

"Ahahahahaha."

"Trust me." He caught my chin between his thumb and forefinger to tip my face up to his. Our eyes locked and yet again I found myself absolutely at the mercy of the man holding me tightly against him.

Dancing with Edward was as easy as standing upright. He moved me like I was made of air across the wooden dance floor specially brought in for the wedding. I've never been co-ordinated to dance without looking like I was suffering from some sort of seizure but Edward made me feel like I was the most elegant dancer in the world. I was so lost in the feeling of freedom and exhilaration that I was experiencing that I didn't notice when he led me away from the dance floor and we ended up on the deserted deck out back.

"That wasn't so bad now was it?" I shook my head without lifting it from his undamaged shoulder.

"No." I mumbled against the crisp white cotton of his shirt, his jacket long discarded. "I don't want to go home, I want to stay with you tonight." He pulled me away from the light spilling through the glass doors into a darkened corner. Not a millimetre remained between us as I crushed my body up against his. What I wanted was for him to push me up against the wall and do unspeakably sexy things to me. Instead he held me tight and leaned his own torso up against the wall.

"I asked you something important recently." He started after clearing his throat anxiously.

"Asking me if I preferred Ladyhawke or Paloma Faith doesn't really constitute important Edward." I was being deliberately obtuse and from the little creases appearing on his forehead he knew it.

"You know I wasn't talking about that, and you still haven't answered me about that by the way."

"That's because I prefer Pixie Lott."

"You infuriate me sometimes." His lips made contact with my forehead. "But I really do love you."

"I love you too." I knew what was coming, I could feel the bulge in his pocket and it wasn't the one I had been hoping to feel.

We rocked gently to the sounds of Rachael Yamagata filtering through the slightly open doors, neither of us willing to let the other go and both trying to find the words that would convey exactly what needed to be said.

I wanted to marry him. I really truly did. It wasn't a question of it being purely an intense first love. When I saw my future I saw him by my side, cheering me on, comforting me when I stumbled through life and loving me so completely that I would never need anything else. It was an all consuming love and I was confident that seventy years from now when our hands lay entwined I would still see his as it is today. In my eyes he will always be as he is now, absolutely the love of my life.

But we are seventeen. Much too young to be married now, I wasn't prepared to be rushed into a legal commitment so young. My confusion lay within my conflicting and hypocritical thoughts about it. Knowing I would spend the rest of my life with Edward made part of me want to rush to say yes, to force him on a plane to Vegas and get it done. Yet another part of me, the cautious dominant part, refused to back down to the steadily growing voice of yes.

"I've been thinking."

"That's always a bit dangerous." I giggled up at him before he silenced me with a kiss.

"Stay with me Bella, I'm going to get serious here and it would be ever so helpful if you could refrain from making jokes."

"Spoil sport." I pouted but managed to keep my mouth in check.

"We love each other." I nodded. "I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy." I smiled. "I know you are reluctant to jump right into marriage, but that is where I want us to end up."

"I do too." I cupped his face in my hands. "Truly I do."

"I'm going to give you something tonight that is precious to me, that I would only give to you." He dropped his embrace and sank to his knees before me. My heart was hammering in my chest. I knew this was going to happen ever since I had felt that small box in his pocket but nothing had prepared me for the feelings that began to swim through me.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you." His hand proffered the closed box to me. "Your smile, your hair, your eyes, your skin, your hands, your spirit, your taste in music, the way you love that dumb old truck, your strength. Everything about you, Bella, calls to me in a way I can't describe. My life is nothing without you in it."

His fingers popped open the box and the light seeping out from the house caught on the side of the diamond. I gasped at the most beautiful ring I'd ever seen. A thin band of platinum was topped by a diamond practically the size of my fist. It could have been gaudy but it was understated and absolutely something not out of place in the window of Tiffany's. I was suddenly desperate to have that on my finger.

"It was my mothers. Their belongings were put into storage by the executors of their will. I gained access to it when I was 16. She would want me to give it to you. She would love you like I do, like Esme does, like everyone does when you let them into your world." As he spoke his long musician's fingers slipped the ring down my finger.

"Your mother would be proud of the man you have become Edward." I managed to whisper, my voice choosing to all but completely abandon me.

"She would be proud of the man _you_ are making me. Will you marry me?"

There was no hesitation in my voice when I answered, it travelled loudly and clearly across into the silent surrounding trees, across the softly tumbling water and echoed on through the night. The dominant part of my brain was silent, finally submitting to the happy inevitability. His lips brushed across my healed knuckles before turning my hand around and kissing my palm. He looked up at me and once again I was struck by the certainty that I was staring directly at my future.

"Absolutely."

**A/N: So....I hope to god I haven't disappointed anybody with this, the final chapter.**

**That's it, we are done with this version of Edward and Bella and the others. Hope you enjoyed the ride, leave me some love in the form of a review, the longer the better... :D**

**Ok, move along now, nothing to see here, you've all got homes to go to. I'm a little sad because I've totally enjoyed writing this. **

**For those of you a little disappointed that there was no lemony goodness in this chapter I couldn't do it because it didn't flow into it and i wasn't about to shoehorn in some sexy times just for the sake of it, it's all about the story for me. **

**And if I've left any unanswered questions let me know and I'll answer them for you, it was my first time and there is always something you forget when it's your first time. **

**I got nominated for best plot line at the new but awesome looking immortalcookieawards[dot]moonfruit[dot]com which i was hugely chuffed about :D**

**I just wanted to say thanks you to every single one of you that read it and reviewed and loved and championed it. I appreciate it greatly :D**

**Remember to Author Alert me if you want to read anything else I write. **

**Cheers! :D**


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